I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! - Book 12: Chapter 15: Banfield Territory Defense (10)

“The pirate fleet has turned to the rear and is attacking us…or rather, all of us!?”

The bridge was filled with the terrible news.

Hearing this, Elysia immediately turned her bitter face to look at the Commander-in-Chief.

Liam, the commander-in-chief, did not even change his expression when he learned that the pirate fleet was attacking him and his allies.

“Liam-sama, we are in danger if we continue like this.”

The situation was getting dire, but it was getting even more dangerous.

Liam puts his right hand out in front of him.

“Spread out and then regroup.”

As Liam’s order was given, the fleet, which had been maintaining a conical assault formation, began to move as they pleased.

The formation collapsed, plunging the fleet into a situation of confusion between friend and foe.

Elysia was breaking out in a profusion of cold sweat from fear.

(It’s almost like it collapsed!?)

It looked as if the Banfield family’s fleet had been knocked out of formation by the pirate fleet’s attack.

However, Liam did not feel in the least bit threatened.

In fact, he even looks confident.

“– I’m sorry, but I’m bringing with me the best of the best, the ones who have been fighting since the beginning. Don’t think that they will collapse at this level.”

The allied fleet spread out and quickly weaved in and out of the formation between enemy fleets – getting out of the battlefield.

The enemy fleet being attacked by the pirate fleet is confused and has no time to worry about them.

There were some ships that attacked occasionally, but they were not coherent and not a threat.

Rather, it is the pirate fleet that poses a threat.

Just after passing a few dozen meters next to the enemy ship, the pirate fleet’s gunfire passed right next to Argos.

The enemy ship was pierced by the beam of light, and Argos’s shield glowed faintly as it exploded.

It was protecting Argos from the debris that had been generated.

In such a situation, Liam gives an instruction.

“The ship that is confident in its defense should protect its allies. Then, use the enemy as a shield against the pirates’ bombardment.”

It is a simple statement, but if it could be done, there would be no trouble.

Nevertheless, Liam’s fleet pulls it off.

Elysia couldn’t believe Liam, but she also thought it was impossible for the fleet to give Liam’s orders.

(What the hell is wrong with these guys! How could they possibly carry out such an order!?)

In front of a stunned Elysia, Liam was sitting in his seat talking to a soldier.

“A great collective effort. You could get more money if you show it off at the ceremony.”

The soldier replies to Liam’s flippant remark with a serious face – with a joke.

“We will join in as much as we can in peacetime. If we could earn our own money, we wouldn’t have to be called money-grubbers.”

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to be busy for a while, and the ceremony will have to wait.”

Seeing Liam having this conversation on the battlefield, Elysia felt dizzy.

◇

The flagship of the pirate fleet.

On its bridge, Cozmo is laughing at the Banfield family fleet that has broken formation.

He slaps his knee and looks amused.

“You probably don’t think we’re going to kill all our allies. Still, to see the Banfield fleet crumble is something I’ll be bragging about for the rest of my life.”

The Banfield family’s fleet was destroyed.

For Cozmo, it’s a major achievement.

He begins to calculate in his mind that he will have more status, honor, and wealth than ever before.

The bridge crew was equally buoyant, but they were trained and did not make a fuss as they had in their pirate days.

Cozmo was confident of victory–but he turned his eyes to a slight discomfort.

“–What the hell is that?”

As the end of the battle nears, the secretary, who is somewhat relaxed, notices that Cozmo is acting strangely and asks him.

“What’s wrong, sir?”

“The situation is not right. No way…those guys…”

Cozmo’s bad premonition is proven true.

The Banfield family’s fleet, which they thought had collapsed, had begun to regroup as they exited the battlefield where friend and foe were mingling.

The secretary noticed, too, and was surprised to see her eyes widen.

“Sir!”

“All fleet, charge at once! We’ll hit them before they can regroup and form up!”

Cozmo’s decision to take immediate action was correct.

The Banfield fleet had not assembled in time and was not even in good shape.

“Now is the time. It’s now or never!”

Cozmo had a bad feeling about this, and he wanted to strike Liam at this moment, no matter what it took.

◇ ◇

“He is faster than I thought he would be.”

“You’re praising the enemy!? What are you going to do? If they attack us in this situation, no matter how elite they are, we can’t win!”

The pirate fleet moved unexpectedly fast, so I was forced to make a decision.

If we were to collide with the enemy fleet at this point, the odds would be against us.

I get up from my seat and give Elysia an order.

“I’ll send out Avid. I’ll buy you some time, so hurry up with the assembly.”

“Huh? Uh, Liam-sama…?”

” –I really wanted to end this with a fleet battle, but not like Klaus.”

I wanted to be a fleet commander, but it seems I’m not cut out for that.

-Well, it doesn’t matter.

I’m not a knight, I’m not a soldier, I’m just a villainous lord.

“I’ll end it with a show of force.”

◇ ◇

As Cozmo’s fleet was about to attack the Banfield family fleet, a single mobile knight jumped out.

In the face of the brave men who came out to defend the fleet, normally Cozmo would have let them handle it without even changing his expression.

But the aircraft that came out is the problem.

The operator reported back to him, but his mouth was trembling.

“Avid–it’s Avid! We have confirmed spatial magic. We have confirmed the appearance of a giant battleship from the magic circle. It appears to be a super-sized mobile knight built at the Seventh Weapons Factory!”

Exasperated, Cozmo swung his fist down on his armrest.

“Don’t you dare come out here, Commander-in-chief!”

It’s not just a good argument.

If this had been anyone other than Liam, Cozmo would have gladly taken him down.

He was glad that his enemy was an idiot.

But the opponent was Liam.

The frightened secretary stepped back as she watched the monitor show Avid – the giant battleship transform and become humanoid.

“Is that the plane they call the Griffin? It’s not a maneuvering knight anymore.”

Cozmo agrees with that opinion.

He wanted to complain to the idiots at the Seventh Weapons Factory who created the Griffin.

But when Avid merges with the Griffin – and gets in – the Griffin’s twin eyes light up.

“Here it comes! Deploy shields! Stretch it thick on all sides. Then, all shield ships forward!”

Griffin points its large hand at the pirate fleet, and each fingertip begins to glow – and soon after, ten beams of light hit the Cozmo fleet.

Dozens of ships were pierced by a single beam.

Luckily, the flagship aboard Cozmo was spared, but it was not an attack one would want to take more than once.

Other weapons attached to the Griffin also attack the fleet.

Optical weapons as well as live ammunition attacked the fleet one after another.

“The idea of taking on the fleet with a single aircraft is a mistake to begin with!”

Cozmo yelled, and a nearby friendly ship exploded.

“I’m complaining because at the moment it’s very effective.”

The situation where it is directed at them is infuriating.

“–we’re going to use that thing.”

At the mention of the “thing,” the secretary huffs and immediately calls.

◇ ◇

Inside the Avid–Griffin.

In the cockpit, hands folded behind my head, I watch the battlefield from a monitor.

“It’s boring when it ends up being a pushover, but it’s exhilarating.”

Due in part to the influence of the machine heart, the current Griffin is even more powerful.

It was showing superior performance compared to the same model.

I switch to autopilot and look at it, but that’s all I can do to make this battle almost over.

“The imperial fleet that was attacked–”

The imperial fleet that was attacked by our allies was rallying as they fled the battlefield.

In a sense, it was as if they were sandwiched between me and the pirate fleet, greatly reduced in number and in a state of tatters.

In addition, supplies were running low and the battle would be hard to continue.

If left alone, they would surrender.

While I was looking away, a spatial magic was used on the pirate fleet.

Something huge comes out.

“– Is it the same thing I think about?”

What emerged from the giant magic circle was a huge mobile knight.

It was the same size as Griffin, and was noticeably gray and rusty in spots, perhaps not painted.

Because it was roughly constructed, it apparently had no deformation mechanism.

It appeared in humanoid form from the start, and its appearance – similar to Griffin’s.

“The same as a griffin?”

I muttered, and the face of the man who is the commander of the pirate fleet appeared on the monitor.

The man in the small window is wearing a pirate hat – a man named Cozmo.

“Hey, how you doing, General?”

“Don’t talk to me so casually.”

I scoff at him curtly, but Cozmo seems to have more time on his hands and continues the conversation.

“Your Griffin was built by the Seventh Weapons Factory, and in fact, the Empire built the same weapon.

“I thought so. But at least change its appearance.”

“That’s what you tell the people in the arsenal who built it. But even if they look the same on the outside, they are different on the inside. After all, we have eliminated the useless mechanism of transformation and made it sturdier.

You want to boast that it is stronger with less waste?

“I have the same trump card as yours, or even more than that. And that’s not just one aircraft. Not only do we have Hampson and Moss, but we have the Crown Prince as well.”

“That’s a problem.”

So you think the same thing.

If you have such a trump card, although I can’t tell him to use it from the beginning.

After all, in exchange for its overwhelming strength on the battlefield, the Griffin is absurdly expensive to operate.

If you want to prepare one Griffin, you might as well prepare a whole fleet.

Once they are in operation, they need to be maintained, but I don’t think the enemy would have the time to do that.

With supplies in short supply, if we were not good enough, we would have no choice but to use them and throw them away.

If we don’t have to use them, it’s the best we can do.

“You’ve lost, Liam.”

“Put on your manners, prick.”

The fake turns its chest toward Griffin.

When the light concentrates there – it is released and the main gun is released.

A very thick beam comes at Griffin.

Cozmo seems confident of victory.

“If you had a little more attitude, I would have gone easy on you and killed you with ease. The rest of your men are all going to hell.”

It looks like he’s going to make my men go to hell after he kills me.

Griffin, swallowed by the light, crosses its arms defensively.

“You don’t need to worry about what’s ahead of you. Instead, you only need to worry about yourself.”

I decide in my mind how I’m going to handle Cozmo, and I grip the controls to get Griffin moving.

As the Griffin’s engines roar to life, we move forward into the light.

As we go against the current, the fake increases its power output even more.

The strain is too much for it, and it’s pushing too hard, causing a discharge from within.

“I’m sorry to make you go to the trouble of preparing a fake one, but – don’t think it’s always going to be the same old aircraft. We are constantly evolving.”

The influence of the machine heart also reaches Griffin through Avid.

When Griffin approached the fake, it reached out its hand and pierced its chest.

It inserted its other hand and ripped it out from the inside.

“What?!

I tell the surprised Cozmo.

“You used rare metals for the fake? Thank you for the trouble of bringing it all the way here, I’ll take good care of it.”

When Griffin forcefully tears the fake, debris is generated in the area.

It retrieves it using the alchemy box hidden inside the Avid.

The trash scattered around the area is converted into light particles that gather on the griffin.

“What have you done!?”

I don’t answer Cozmo, who doesn’t understand what’s happening – I point the Griffin’s main gun at the pirate fleet.

Cozmo’s face paled as he saw the light converge on Griffin’s chest.

“I’m not going to tell you. Now then–how dare you ravage my territory?”

One of the reasons we attacked the supply base was to hit these guys.

While our ships were being destroyed one by one, Cozmo just stared at me and didn’t beg for his life.

“You are all finished here, all of you. Any last words?”

I ask, and Cozmo smiles wryly.

“We’ve gone on a rampage. I saw this coming.”

“You give up too soon.”

“–but even if you win here, it’s the same thing. No matter how many victories you accumulate, the empire will always win in the end! The power of our countries is different to begin with. I’m looking forward to seeing you fall into the same hell as me over there.”

If there really is a hell, I will definitely fall into it.

But so what?

“I’m sorry, but I’m going to enjoy this world for a while longer. You’ll just have to wait as patiently as you can until I get there.”

“You’re going to defeat the empire, aren’t you? Soon reinforcements will be–”

You may be saying that reinforcements or the next conquering army will be sent – but there won’t be any.

There are no reinforcements.

“If it’s reinforcements, they’re not coming.”

”What?”

To Cozmo’s surprise, Griffin approaches the kicked-out pirate fleet and spots the flagship.

Cozmo glares at me as he grabs the flagship in his giant hands.

“You get special treatment.”

–I’m going to get at least one present for my hard-working subordinate.

“Now, is it time for them to play their trump card?”

V12Ch16: Banfield Territory Defense Part 11

Near the main planet of Banfield territory.

The information that Cozmo was captured was reported to Cleo, who was in command from the fortress class.

“Pirates are still pirates.”

The fact that Cozmo was captured is not important in itself, but the problem is that the supply base was taken by Liam.

There were several other supply bases in the area, but they were storing supplies to be transported there.

If Liam were to seize them, the entire army would be in danger.

Cleo quickly made a decision.

“We have no choice. It is time to play our trump card. If Liam is in the rear, Avid will not come out here.”

Then, a military man standing nearby expresses his disapproval of Cleo’s decision.

“Your Highness, that thing is a near disposable weapon to begin with. The spatial magic is only intended for a single use, and it would cost an enormous amount of money to transport it.”

“What about it?”

“Even if we use it and win, we are in the same situation as if we had suffered a great deal of damage. I don’t know what to tell the Emperor.”

Unlike Griffin, the Empire has no facilities to operate it.

The reason why they did not prepare the environment for maintenance is because they do not think that they will be operated by the military in the future in the first place.

It can only be used once, and if it is used, it is the same as causing great damage.

Cleo did not want to use it for anything other than Liam if possible, but since the rear was being held up, there was no time to choose the means.

“Weapons that are not used have no meaning. Besides, the enemy seems to have used their trump card.”

The friendly fleet that had been sent to attack was attacked by what appeared to be a strategic weapon.

Several huge beams were fired, and the formation was broken up and torn to pieces.

The soldiers pondered for a few seconds and then nodded.

“I will hasten the preparations for the sortie of the super large mobile knights.”

“Just say so from the beginning. If we don’t win in the first place, we have no future.”

Cleo, with his arms crossed, was acting arrogantly to those around him.

It reminds them of Liam’s behavior.

The only thing that comes close to his behavior is the presence that he hates and wants to surpass.

◇ ◇

At the time, the guide was clinging to the griffin impostor.

The blade antenna on the head of the fake, which had sailed away, was intended to ally him with the conquering army.

“Almost there! We are so close to destroying Liam’s main planet! If we do, his family will be lost and his heart will be deeply wounded again–Ugh, why does my stomach hurt?”

He feels a sickening pain in his stomach, but still, it’s Liam’s family now.

For some reason, he was angry at Liam for occupying the supply base in the rear, but then he thought, why not go after his family – Rosetta and Edward?

“I don’t care about the pain right now, I care about Liam. If we can get Liam’s main planet, we can win this war.”

The guide loves war, but he has never been concerned with winning or losing.

But he understands that if he can get his hands on Liam’s planet, it will tip the balance of power in his favor.

In fact, Liam’s home planet would be loaded with supplies.

There should be enough room for Cleo’s fleet to take a breather.

And if they knew that the main planet had fallen into enemy hands – the Banfield family could collapse.

Black smoke billows from the guide’s body and envelops the fake.

“First, Klaus–I’ll take you down first!”

Klaus, who protects the main planet of Liam from the great fleet of millions of ships – the first knight of the Banfield family, and now the top of the army.

If Klaus were defeated and his planet lost, the Banfield family would not be able to recover.

“If it weren’t for yooouuuu! Then there was Yasushi. If that son of a bitch hadn’t raised Liam, none of this would have happened. I’ll kill him too, I swear!”

They knew where Yasushi was, but were unable to get to him because he was on Liam’s home planet.

The guide absorbs the negative emotions swirling around the battlefield.

Even the grudges of dead soldiers were taken in, and the swelling power was approaching its peak.

“Ahh, it’s coming on!

The fake twin-eyes glowed, and as the main cannon was about to fire – Liam’s main planet intensified its golden glow.

“W-What!?”

What the guide sees in the glow – it is unmistakably the griffin.

He begins to tremble with fear.

“Liam is back!? That can’t be right. He must be at the supply base!”

Clinging to the blade antenna, the guide shook his head, trying to shake off his fear.

Looking at Griffin, he could see that it was indeed similar to Liam’s, but there were differences in detail.

Most notably, the number “two” was written on the shoulder.

“I got scared. You scared me. Is this a secret weapon you prepared for today? But it doesn’t matter if Liam isn’t on board–what?”

The guide, who was flustered by the appearance of the mass-produced Griffin, noticed something strange as he regained his composure.

The golden particles overflowing from the main planet were flowing into the mass-produced model of Griffin.

“You can’t beat me now even if you try to imitate Liam! Go! Defeat him and destroy Liam’s main planet!”

The fake that the guide clings to approaches the mass-produced model.

As the two giant bodies approach within fighting distance of each other – Fuuka’s voice is heard.

“We’ve found the big guy! If we defeat this guy, our master and Senior brother will praise us, right?”

The one on board was a swordsman of One-Flash.

The guide has a bad feeling.

“One of the kids Yasushi raised!?”

In the past, the guide in his glory days was defeated by Liam.

The army he led was strong, but few in number.

In addition, Avid and Griffin were mass-producers.

And now comes Fuuka, who is probably stronger than Liam was back then.

When the fake released its main cannon, the beam was fired at many times the normal output with the help of the guide.

The mass-produced model that Fuuka rides intercepts it with its main cannon as well.

When the beams from both sides collided, they tried to push each other back.

“I can’t lose. I can’t lose in a place like this!”

As the guide sends more negative emotions into the fake, the output increases even more and the mass-produced one is pushed in.

“I’m going to crush you like this!”

◇ ◇

Fuuka was in the cockpit, sweating cold sweat.

“Damn it! How can you lose to a fake? Isn’t this guy defective?”

The mass-production model had been hastily built at the Seventh Weapons Factory.

Fuuka, who had been told this, imagined that the Seventh Weapons Factory had cut corners.

“It ain’t no sword fight, and I can run away if I want–just, if I retreat here.

She looked back and there was Liam’s main planet.

She is still fighting the enemy, protected by several fortresses.

“If I run away here, I won’t be able to protect my master and Yasuyuki. –I can’t fulfill the promise I made to Senior brother and I’ll be laughed at by Rinho.

Fuuka, telling herself the reason why she could not retreat, gripped the control stick tightly.

“– but I don’t want to die here as a swordsman. I can’t face my master when that happens.”

She thought about using the mass-produced model as a shield to protect it, but she didn’t want a One-Flash swordsman to die on a battlefield like this.

“If I’m going to die, I’d rather die in a serious match between my katana and another katana.”

There is no way to be defeated by another school.

However, she wanted to risk her life in a match.

As a result, a serious match between two fighters of the same school would be ideal for Fuuka now.

The first time she took her hand off the control stick, she stood up straight.

“I’ve been told by my senior brother and sister that it’s okay to smash them. I’m going to push you too hard, so follow me!”

At the same time as the mass-produced model growls, the firing port of the main gun reaches its limit and explodes.

However, Fuuka does not escape, but instead uses the mass-produced model as a shield.

“Bear with me, damn it!”

Crossing her arms, she caught the fake main gun and protected it from a direct hit to the main planet.

The mass-produced armor, made of rare metals, but it reached its limits and began to dissolve.

Explosions occurred in various places, and the alerts did not stop sounding.

However, it was the same for the enemy that had reached its limit.

Perhaps it was the cost of releasing the main gun at a higher output than expected, but fire was coming from inside.

The enemy, however, seems to have reached its limit.

“I guess I win the endurance contest.”

Stamping down on the foot pedal, Fuuka charged the mass-production model and entered the enemy’s pocket.

Then, she made a hand sword with both hands and pierced through the fake.

Both sides are in a state of tatters, but Fuuka is not finished here.

“This is not the end!”

She accelerates the mass-produced model as it is and heads toward the enemy fleet.

The destination is part of the main fleet led by Cleo.

Even so, since they are a regular army, they are probably bewildered, but their reaction is not bad.

They immediately change formation and start attacking the mass-production type.

Fuuka produced a mass-production type hand sword – a huge blade with a beam coming out of it.

Thousands of kilometers long.

Tearing the fake apart, Fuuka unleashed a slash at the surrounding fleet.

“If I’m going to destroy it anyway, I’m going to go on a rampage in yer goddamn asses!”

A mass-produced model rampaging around while destroying itself.

The surrounding vessels were swallowed up and destroyed by the blades of the giant humanoid weapon.

As it reached its limit, the cockpit in the head of the mass-produced model – the Amaryllis in which Fuuka rides – was ejected.

It was equipped with an escape function.

“So much for this.”

As she quickly tries to escape, the mobile knights that sailed out from the enemy ship appear there.

There were several hundred of them, and the number was still increasing.

The mobile knight that seemed to be the captain’s machine had a different coloring from the surrounding mass-produced machines.

It seems to be a custom machine.

“Don’t think you can escape!”

In front of them, Fuka raised the corner of her mouth.

“Let’s go and play a little longer.”

Amaryllis holds a sword in each of her two hands, and as she becomes a dual sword – the surrounding mobile knights explode one after the other.

◇ ◇

The guide drifting in space cried, clutching his knees.

“Yasushi–I’ll never forgive you for preparing a mass-produced Liam, of all things.”

The white Avid on which Fuuka rides–Amaryllis–watches the scene of the battle in the distance.

The approaching mobile knights were destroyed and the bombardment by the battleships were all blocked by Amaryllis’ energy field.

At times, battleships have been cut in both directions, and there appears to be room for a lone battleship, even though it should be a lone battleship.

The guide has a bad feeling about this and looks at the view of the other battlefields.

“There must have been other disciples of One-Flash. Where are they doing– hmm!?”

He reached out his hand and projected the scene of other battlefields around him, and there was an unbelievable sight.

There was no major movement on the planet Marie was defending, but the problem was the planet Tia was defending.

A mass-produced model with the number three written on it easily defeated the fake one that Hampson had sent out.

“This guy–Liam’s disciple!?”

◇ ◇

At that time.

Hampson was stunned by the scene before him.

“What was Banfield thinking? How could Banfield be so crazy!?”

A supersized mobile knight.

Hampson was also fascinated by the idea of a super-sized mobile knight, but Liam, in his position as a lord, would never have adopted such a weapon, let alone mass-produced it.

It was a decision that Hampson could not understand, but what surprised him even more was the strength of the weapon.

Based on data from Griffin at the Seventh Weapons Factory, the design of the fake was reviewed.

Although they were superior in performance, the counterfeits they had prepared were easily destroyed by the mass-produced models in front of them.

The image of the enemy pilot is projected on a huge monitor on the bridge.

“I didn’t think they had prepared the same weapon.”

The other party seems surprised, but Hampson is surprised again.

“Ellen Tyler? Banfield’s disciple!?”

The red-haired female knight on the monitor narrowed her eyes, perhaps uncomfortable at the mention of her name.

“–I have some unfortunate news for you gentlemen, I must tell you.”

Hampson resists a bitter look when he hears the unfortunate news.

He had to show some composure, or his subordinates would become anxious.

–It’s too late now, after all the surprise, but if he shows even more pettiness here, it will be even more demoralizing.

“The unfortunate news is that they hit our supply base, right? But there is more than one supply base. Our army can still fight.”

It was a true statement, but it was also a lie.

Although they built several supply bases, it was the supply base, that Liam hit that were accumulating the supplies that needed to be sent to those supply bases’.

He could see that the supplies would eventually run out in enemy territory.

But Ellen smiles and says something different than Hampson expected.

“Number Four will be crushing around, but that’s another story. –I have a message from my master, Liam Sera Banfield. “Destroy the enemy.”

Liam’s decision is conveyed: destroy the conquering army that has invaded the territory – no surrender will be accepted.

But Hampson still had room to maneuver.

“He was as bullish as the documents say. But the Empire will send reinforcements soon. Supplies will arrive in great piles, and we will be victorious. It will be you who will be begging for your lives.”

Knowing the current situation, he knew that the Empire would come to their rescue.

Ellen’s eyes narrowed as she smiled and sneered at Hampson.

“That’s impossible. The High Kingdom has launched an advance to the border. There are other moves being made by the unified government and the United Kingdoms. Even the Empire won’t be able to send a fleet to help you anytime soon.”

Hampson’s eyes widened.

The High Kingdom? They’ve already submitted to the Empire!

He had expected the unified government and the Allied Powers to make a move.

Hampson also thought that if there was a disturbance in the Empire, they would take advantage of the opportunity and invade.

But the High Kingdom was different.

The current Empire did not anticipate an invasion by the High Kingdom.

“They have the quality of following the strong. It’s just that the person they revered was their master, not the Empire.”

As the bridge crew is in an uproar, another figure appears on the giant monitor.

It was Tia, one eye wide open.

It seems that she is very frustrated and wants to complain to Hampson.

“Nice to meet you, Marquis Hampson.”

“Christiana.”

“You’ve given us a lot of trouble, but it’s finally our turn.”

Tia tells Hampson as her expression becomes blank.

“–from here it’s time to hunt. Let them run around and enjoy us as much as they can.”

As soon as the communication was cut off, Hampson swung his fist down on the armrest.