Volume 6 Chapter 4 – Compa.s.sion
I’m thinking about various things in the local government office where I work at.
The workplace has become a very comfortable place now that some affairs have been dealt with.
The annoying bosses and the corrupt locals connected to them have been wiped out, so there hasn’t been any problem as of late.
Even if there is one, I can eliminate it using force.
Thanks to that, the working environment has gotten much better, and no one dares to bother me.
I’ve already finished my work for the day, so I’m just waiting until it’s time to go home.
There’s around 15 minutes remaining, and I’m utilizing that time period to contemplate about various issues.
First, we must be victorious in this interstellar war.
Second, I must restore peace in my territory.
Third, I must annihilate those that ridiculed the School of One-Flash.
The first two objectives must be accomplished with haste.
On the other hand, the third objective can be postponed as it’s not as urgent.
There’s no denying that One-Flash is the best sword technique known to mankind.
However, the war is imminent.
Due to the sheer scale of wars between intergalactic nations, they require a lot of time to prepare.
Even so, both sides are bound to clash in the next few years.
“Well then, how should I distribute the forces?”
I’m inside the office of my incompetent boss’s boss.
Although I’m just an intern, I get to sit in this position because I’ve managed to clean this workplace of the previous bosses.
What kind of internship is this?
I ponder about this topic for a moment, but since I don’t really care about the work, I stop thinking about it almost immediately.
There’s something much more important than that that must be addressed.
“The problem lies with the Capital Planet.”
Unless I station some hands on the Capital Planet, I would be distracted when I fight.
As I’m thinking hard, Kukuri appears from the shadow.
“Lord Liam, may I have a moment of your time?”
“What is it?”
“—Recently, acts of terrorism have been occurring in the Capital.”
“That’s nothing new.”
“There’s something suspicious about them. Although the terrorists’ claims are all over the place, they’re unusually skilled. What’s more, the Imperial guards haven’t been actively trying to capture them.”
Having heard that much, it’s abundantly clear what’s going on.
They’re claiming to be terrorist organizations when they’re in fact a.s.sa.s.sins.
Since it’s Kukuri who’s reporting, it would be safe to a.s.sume that the target is us.
In the event that they actually kill us, they can reason that we were unfortunately dragged into the mess.
What a roundabout way to do things—it’s worth referring to.
“Can your group handle this by yourselves?”
“With a bit of recklessness, yes.”
“In that case, leave the situation alone. There’s something else I want you guys to do anyway. —Identify the traitors. Oh, but don’t touch them as I have use for them.”
“Acknowledged. When it comes to traitors, I believe that the Count of the United Kingdoms is the most suspicious. However, it’ll take some time to dispatch my men there. As for the Integrated Government, I have already sent someone there.”
It seems like he sent personnel to the Integrated Government when the demonstration started taking place.
Kukuri, what a hard worker you are.
“The Count? I’m sure that he betrayed. There’s no need for anyone to confirm.”
“—Do you wish for him to be disposed?”
“Perhaps when there’s free time. Don’t worry about him for now.”
Count Norden, was it? The Count who has a connection with me through Thomas. He’s supposedly a villainous lord of the United Kingdoms.
Isn’t there also a Norden residing inside my territory? A Baron, yes?
Well, it doesn’t matter.
As fellow evil lords, I thought we could get along, but taking my situation into account, I’m pretty sure he that he betrayed me.
If I was in his shoes, I would have definitely betrayed him as well.
“Be wary of the information that he delivers. Also, don’t forget to feed him fake information when you contact him.”
“Won’t Count Norden be on the battlefield?”
“I’ll get rid of him if the opportunity arises—for now, the issue going on in the Capital takes precedence.”
They have gone to such lengths to oh-so-politely prepare terrorist groups in an attempt to eliminate us.
I won’t be at ease no matter who I leave behind in the Capital.
—Wait a minute?
Do I even have to be on the battlefield?
As a simulation, I arrange the staffsunder the a.s.sumption that I will be remaining on the Capital Planet.
“This might work. Kukuri, gather the executives when they return.”
“Acknowledged.”
◇
Within Liam’s knight order, there was an ordinary knight named Klaus.
As an ordinary knight with some experience under his belt, Klaus, who had a nervous temperament, was a rare specimen in the order owing to the fact that most of Liam’s knights had rather extreme personalities.
However, Klaus was currently trembling and suffering from a stomach ache.
(NO WAAAAAY!!)
Everyone inside the luxury hotel’s conference room was baffled by the arrangement of personnel.
Liam sat imposingly on a chair with an air of seriousness.
“Klaus, you will essentially act as the commanding general of His Highness Cleo’s expeditionary force.”
“But Lord Liam, I have no experience in commanding a large fleet consisting of millions of battleships.”
“No problem.”
“Pardon? All I can see are problems!”
What do you mean ‘No problem’?
Klaus foresaw all sorts of problems arising from this.
Not only was he responsible for commanding the ordinary fleet of the Empire, he was tasked with commanding the personal fleets of the aristocrats as well.
In addition, Liam had entrusted him with a large fleet of 60,000 ships.
Tia and Marie were glaring at him with envious eyes.
These two were notorious troublemakers that constantly competed over the first place in the knight order.
“What a good position you’ve been given, Klaus-dono.”
“If you feel like the burden is too much, just say the word. I’ll swap with you.”
He decided to ignore their stares.
Instead, it was Liam who questioned them in a low voice.
“Are you two dissatisfied with my arrangement?”
Marie and Tia hurriedly kneeled and apologized.
“N-never!”
“I dare not disagree with Lord Liam! B-but is Klaus-dono fit to play this role? Hasn’t he claimed that he has never before commanded a fleet of this magnitude?”
Among Liam’s subordinates, only two people had the experience of fighting in a war where millions of warships were involved, namely Tia and Marie.
When she was still active as a Princess Knight, Tia had partic.i.p.ated in large-scale battles by allying herself with other countries to produce fleets of great magnitude.
Marie, on the other hand, was one of the legendary Three Knights during the early days of the Empire.
As such, she had partaken in various interstellar wars and had even commanded one wing of the army.
They were both more experienced compared to Klaus.
“Lord Liam, I’m afraid that this is too great a responsibility for someone like me to—”
“I’m positive that you can do this. I’ll have Tia follow your orders, so you can use her as you please. Also, Chengshi—”
Liam called for Chengshi, who had no interest in this topic.
She was the dangerous knight who wished to kill Liam.
“Yes?”
“You’re the strongest among my subordinates. You’ll be placed under Klaus, and your task is to protect His Highness Cleo.”
“—You trust me that much?”
“If you perform well, I’ll play with you again.”
When Chengshi heard this, her cheeks turned rosy and her body shivered.
Klaus, however, thought differently.
(Wait, Lord Liam! You want me to take care of two troublemakers!?)
Marie timidly raised her hand.
Being the only person whose name wasn’t called, she was making a lonely expression.
“Lord Liam, where will this Marie be stationed?”
“—You’ll be leading 3000 ships and exterminating pirates. You’re essentially in charge of defending the territory. Although 3000 isn’t a lot, show me that you can do it.”
“Y-yes, my lord!”
Entrusting her with the territory’s safety was proof of Liam’s trust.
After all, Liam would be living on the Capital Planet for a while.
Klaus was also worried about this.
“Lord Liam, how many ships will you be leaving behind with you on the Capital Planet?”
“—Three thousand should suffice.”
“T-that’s far too little! The Calvinist aristocrats will definitely try to seize this opportunity!”
“It’ll be fine. Just make sure you support His Highness Cleo properly. I’ll be leisurely touring the Capital.”
Despite saying that he would be “leisurely” touring the Capital, it was quite clear that the Capital would be turned into a battlefield as well. It was too risky to have Liam remain on the planet.
Even as bait, it was too dangerous.
“E-even then—”
“Say no more!—Anyway, what happened to Eulisia? I’m planning on giving her some work.”
Klaus tilted his head when Liam suddenly brought up the topic of Eulisia, who was absent.
“Um, Lady Rosetta mentioned that Lady Eulisia would be returning to the army. I think it was something about Lady Eulisia slacking off…”
“—What is she doing at this busy hour? Call her back immediately! I’ll have her work in the boisterous territory.”
Did he forget about Lady Eulisia until now?
Klaus was beginning to doubt his master.
(Seems like she still has a th.o.r.n.y road ahead of her before she can become a concubine—Haa…)
◇
After adjourning the meeting, I quickly head to the dressing room.
Patrice, who is a member of the Newlands Company and one of my personal merchants, has been summoned there, and she is dealing with Rosetta right now.
“It suits you really well, Lady Rosetta.”
“W-what’s up with all these dresses? This is already the thirtieth one.”
“They’re for parties.”
“Parties? With this many dresses, I won’t need to worry about what to wear for a decade.”
“Excuse me, but you won’t be wearing any of these dresses twice. Hence, these will only last a month or so.”
“Ehhh!? Oh, are these dresses cheap? They’re pretty much disposable, aren’t they?”
“Yes, they’re relatively cheap. It costs around this much.”
“That’s expensive! But then again, since it’s for 30 dresses, I guess it’s reasonable?”
“That’s the price of one dress, ma’am.”
“—Eh?”
Shocked, Rosetta stops in her tracks.
Similarly, Ciel freezes up next to Rosetta.
Ciel will be partic.i.p.ating in the parties with us, so she’s also picking up some dresses.
Being the serious person that she is, she probably hates attending parties where she has to wear expensive clothes.
—I, on the contrary, love parties.
Spending money like water.
Now that’s what I’d call an act befitting an evil lord!
As for why we’re doing this—it’s because we’ll be partying consecutively for days in the Capital.
I’ll be thoroughly enjoying my stay here on the Capital Planet.
If someone comes looking for trouble, I’ll face them off.
Rather than searching everywhere, it’s more efficient to wait until someone comes knocking.
The parties will be held under several people’s names, but I’ll be managing everything in the dark.
Wallace, who appears to be free, would be hosting the parties. As for me, I’ll just be partic.i.p.ating and playing around every day.
Patrice walks up to me.
“Lord Liam, a message arrived from the higher-ups of the Integrated Government. They’re claiming that they weren’t the ones that instigated the demonstration. In fact, they seem rather surprised by it. Apparently, they didn’t expect people to begin a demonstration so soon.”
Due to the warm welcome, some immigrants must have had the wrong idea, making them prime targets for an enemy agent to instigate.
I’m not really bothered by it, and I’m pretty sure that the Integrated Government is innocent.
The Integrated Government probably sent in a spy or two, but every country does that.
“I’m not particularly suspicious of them.”
“—How will you punish the offenders? The Empire’s typical approach is to raze the planet to the ground. The Integrated Government seems worried about this.”
“For the sake of the original inhabitants, I won’t be doing anything of that nature. Nevertheless, they won’t go unpunished.”
They will have to suffer the consequences for beginning a riot inside my territory.
“How likely are we to beat the United Kingdoms in this war? Even if we do beat them, won’t the Cleo Faction suffer a steep decline in power? Does Lord Liam have enough subordinates to command?”
Aren’t you lacking capable personnel?
I smile at Patrice who displays concern.
“Investments are important, aren’t they?”
“Does Lord Liam have a plan?”
“—It’s time for a harvest. That’s all there is to it.”
I’ve allowed many young people from my territory to study abroad, so it’s time for them to pay me back.
Military officers, government officials—all sorts of people have received my support in the past.
I’ve almost forgotten about them, but let’s not mention that.
“I have enough people working under me. As for the war—I’ll be taking advantage of the traitors.”
I look forward to what’s to come as I watch Rosetta and Ciel constantly changing into new dresses that have been prepared for them ahead of time.
“Patrice, we’ve already won this battle.”
“I sure do hope so. After all, even if you win against the United Kingdoms, you would have to face the Calvin Faction afterwards.”
She seems to have misunderstood.
I was talking about my battle with Calvin.
Believing that he would definitely win, Calvin has made a careless move.
I never thought Calvin would make a move this early on.
I’m truly grateful for this fortunate turn of events.
◇
The Imperial Army’s Seventh Weapons Factory was experiencing an unprecedented boom.
“Ahahaha, I can’t stop laughing!”
As the Cleo Faction was dragged into the interstellar war, weapons were being ordered from the Third, the Sixth, and the Ninth Weapons Factories.
The Seventh Weapons Factory had been cast aside.
Fortunately, a large order had arrived from Liam.
Next to Nias who was laughing uncontrollably, her junior was staring at the factory which was in full operation.
The corners of her lips were also turned up.
“I heard that Baron Exner would be renewing all his family’s weaponries too. Iya~, Count Bafield is indeed generous.”
Among the aristocrats in the Cleo Faction, there were still some lords that remained uneasy about their fleets.
As such, he had generously promised to provide them with various equipments such as state-of-the-art battleships and mobile knights.
Since Cleo would be partic.i.p.ating in the interstellar war, the Empire was providing him with maximum support, or at least that was what the Empire was trying to “portray”.
The factories were therefore permitted to build and sell weapons without having to worry about offending someone.
The more they built, the more they were able to sell.
Everything in their inventory had been purchased as well.
That was mainly why Nias couldn’t stop laughing.
“Wartime demand is really amazing.”
“It’s not like the war has officially started though.—That said,”
The Seventh Weapons Factory was pumping out new models that had been further improved based on the Banfields’ constructive criticisms.
I don’t like the design.
I don’t like the interior.
Performance-wise, nothing really changed. However, they had added extra functions that were unbecoming of the Seventh Weapons Factory.
Truth be told, they didn’t want to build weapons like these, but none of the Seventh Weapons Factory’s original models were being purchased.
They were simply unpopular.
The factory wasn’t receiving any orders aside from the ones that requested for the Banfield-modified models.
“We’ve only sold a few of our original models. My pride is in shambles.”
“It’s fine. I didn’t design those anyway.”
The Cleo Faction was pushing itself to prepare for the upcoming war, so weapons were selling like hotcakes.
By lending money to some of the aristocrats, Liam successfully expanded his influence within the faction and boosted the overall strength of it.
He was able to make such flashy moves by using the war as an excuse.
Nias touched her cheeks with her hands and leered at the battleship in front of her, mesmerized.
“Ra. Ther. Than. That.—The newest battleship which I designed is of much greater importance! Just look at its mind-blowing functionalities!”
Having incorporated vast quant.i.ties of rare metals, the 3000 meters long Flagship-cla.s.s battleship was built for Liam, and it was worthy of being called the ultimate battleship.
“Even the engine which powers the battleship contains rare metals within it! The output is at another level. Yes, the output! The barrels of the canons were made with Arondight, while the heat converter—”
With these changes, it’ll no doubt be the strongest!
—Until now, she didn’t have the necessary resources to build one.
As a result, the giant battleship of her dreams had always remained as a product of her imagination.
However, thanks to Liam, she was given the chance to work on it, and Nias was able to complete it after a long time.
“Gufufufufufufu—”
Believing that Nias won’t be returning back to reality for a while, her junior returned to her work.
“Well, it’s good that we’re making a lot of money. Even so, the aristocrats of the Cleo Faction are upgrading their weapons to the newest generation with impeccable timing.”
As new weapons were about to be introduced, the weapons that were mainstream at the moment were on their way to becoming obsolete.
Thus, the Cleo Faction became the first to switch over to a new generation of weapons.