Book 10: Chapter 13: Present of the Evil Lord
We have decided to fight the empire in the future.
Which is good.
That's all well and good, but I still had a big problem in front of me.
This one bothered me more than the problem with the empire.
"Oh, you guys. I have one more thing to discuss with you."
We just decided to fight the empire.
Klaus and the others are still in the room, and they are still excited.
Klaus is the only one who is calm as usual.
He is really a reliable guy.
When I asked for advice, it was Tia who took the bait.
"Do you wish to discuss something with us? What's the content of this?"
Until a few minutes ago, I had made the decision in a lighthearted manner, thinking that the emperor was the real enemy anyway, so I might as well just take the empire.
However, to my surprise, Klaus presented me with a clear figure, which made me feel that I could take it more realistically.
Klaus is excellent, after all.
But even for someone like me, who makes such important decisions so easily, there are still some problems that bother me.
"Rosetta."
"What?"
"So it's Rosetta! I got the planet Charlotte, so I thought I'd give it to her as a gift. Is that a problem?"
I too was born into this world more than a century ago.
I am beginning to understand the values of this world, even if only dimly, and I wonder if I have been too frugal up to now.
I began to think so.
So I thought of it this way.
--If I gave her the planet Charlotte, it would be a luxury that would be well accepted in this world.
"One planet as a gift. Quite a luxury, don't you think?"
Tia gives a drawn-out smile in response to my idea.
" And a very nice idea. I'm so impressed that Liam-sama would give Rosetta a planet as a gift!"
--No matter how you look at it, it looks like she's forcing herself to be happy.
Just a few minutes ago, she was sincerely saying, "It's so wonderful, Liam-sama!" The one who was saying, "I'm sorry," is now swimming her gaze, saying, "It is a quintessence."
When I look at Marie, she answers, averting her gaze from me.
"It's a wonderful idea that we have never thought of! It's just that it's also slightly out of the norm."
When Marie questioned my common sense, I turned my attention to Kukri.
Kukri doesn't avert his gaze, but expresses my idea in an oblique manner.
"It is a great gift only Liam-sama is allowed to give. However, once you acquire a planet, you are obligated to manage it. If it is left unattended and even bandits try to settle there, Rosetta-sama will be held responsible."
"I see. --Klaus?
I looked at Klaus as if asking for help, and for some reason he was a little huffy.
He acted as if he hadn't heard what I had just said.
"Hey, did you hear what I just said?"
"No, no, I mean..."
I understand when I see what Klaus is not saying.
It seems that I still don't understand the values of this world, he said.
It seems that giving a planet as a gift was a bit much.
"I understand. I'll take care of Charlotte and Baron Glynn's main planet. So, you know. What should I give Rosetta?"
I ask again, and Marie points out.
"We have already given you all the necessary items before the wedding, sir?"
"That's not true. It's just a regular present."
"Hmm, were you thinking of the planets as ordinary gifts?"
The way the four of them looked at me had a somewhat pitiful look saying "He's a no-good." [TL/N: Dame da Koitsu.* I think?]
You guys have got some nerve talking against your master.
"That's enough, I'm going to bed!"
As I try to get the four of them out of the room, Klaus receives a transmission.
He then mentioned Kurt's name.
"Liam-sama, Kurt-sama has something urgent to report to you."
"From Kurt?"
"--Liam, I'm sorry. I can't break off my marriage to Her Royal Highness Princess Cecilia."
"The empire won't allow it. Don't worry about it."
Kurt sent me an urgent message about Princess Cecilia, to whom he is engaged to be married.
She is Cleo's sister by birth, so she has a stronger connection to Cleo than to her other siblings.
Since Cleo and I were enemies, Kurt must have been concerned about her.
"You're with me, right?"
"--Yes."
When I see Kurt's dark and somber expression on the other side of the monitor, I have a hunch that he is going to choose the empire over me - and then Kurt makes a suggestion.
"Liam, I actually need a favor. You know about your clone, right?"
"I heard it in the report. Calvin says it was Cleo who initiated the plan. I don't care which one it is, but he has the audacity to try to copy me and One-Flash."
"What are you going to do with her?"
"His impersonation of One-Flash is poor and non-threatening--but he doesn't need an imitation of me."
When I have finished saying that, Kurt looks at me sadly.
"I have a favor to ask. Will you leave her with me?"
"What do you mean?"
Why would Kurt want a clone of me?
They say she is good enough to pilot a fake Avid, but we are told that even though she has high specs as a knight, she is a child on the inside.
Since she is not easy to use, there is no merit in keeping her by one's side.
However, Kurt seems to sympathize with her.
"She was created only to fight. If we leave her like this, she will end up being disposed of as Liam said. That would be too sad."
"You only feel sorry for that girl? There are so many poor people in the world."
Kurt chokes on my words.
--Yes, that's right. In a previous life, I was one of those poor people.
No one helped me.
So - I can't help but feel a little envious of Kurt's interest in my clone.
"Well, okay, I'm not interested. Suit yourself. --But we're going to retrieve her aircraft, because Amagi knows about the spare aircraft. She'll scold me if I don't bring it back."
I had the Seventh Weapons Factory build a spare mass-production machine so that I could eventually give it to my apprentice, Ellen.
So we had them built in secret, but Calvin exposed them.
If I went back to the territory, Amagi would scold me again.
To be honest, I'm just as nervous about it as I am about getting married.
"Not to mention the aircraft, but are you sure you want to?"
"I consider you a friend. And I think we should continue to be as such."
I don't know what he likes about my clones, but if Kurt feels indebted to me for this, it's a small price to pay.
"Oh, of course. No, I wasn't going to ruin the relationship if you said no."
"I see."
Now it looks like the Exner family will join us in our resolve.
Well, there are no absolutes in this world.
Let's continue to make a lot of bones to keep a good relationship with the Exner family in the future.
"That being said, I'm surprised that Liam has been planning the wedding. I guess it was for Rosetta's sake that you ended the war within two years."
Brightening up, Kurt suddenly started teasing me.
"Oh, I just didn't want my schedule changed! I've got to go. You should definitely come to the ceremony too."
"Of course."
I let out a deep sigh as I hung up the communication.
"--not that I'm doing it for Rosetta."
I couldn't decide to whom this was an excuse.
.
The main planet of the Banfield family.
When the flagship Argos broke through the atmosphere and returned home, a large crowd of people greeted me in the harbor.
Projected in the air were texts rejoicing my return.
The path I walk on is paved with red ductile iron, and the floor is moving, so I can move quite fast if I walk on it.
It would have been faster to take a vehicle, but I needed to show the people that I was safe.
The pathway is transparent, like a glass wall, so that I can be seen from anywhere.
How pitiful they must be to have to rejoice at my mere return.
Seeing these people who have no choice but to flatter me, a man of absolute power, I understand that the world is an unreasonable place.
I smile wryly and pass through the passageway....
"Darling!"
"You stop that!"
-- Rosetta jumped on me.
I had been acting like a villainous lord earlier, but Rosetta's distracted call and hug ruined everything.
Seeing Rosetta, who was so happy to hug me, the guards around us chuckled.
Marie, for example, looks rather happy.
"Rosetta-sama, you're being immodest."
Tia looked around her.
"They're all related, though, so it's not a problem."
Rosetta hugged me and cried and rejoiced that I was safe.
"I'm really glad you're back safe. I was really scared when I first heard we were outnumbered."
"You thought I was going to lose? That's just plain impossible to happen."
"I believed you. But when my darling was gone, I--"
After all, I have the blessing of a guide.
If I am defeated to the extent in which Calvin is, I will not be able to defeat the real enemy - Baglada.
However, there are some things that concern me.
When the guide informed me of the existence of the true enemy, I felt that he was in a great hurry.
In fact, Baglada also seems to be stepping outside of humanity.
One-Flash is a school created for fighting with non-humans, and although I believe it can be countered - I still think I should train.
--I should still train.
By then, I will have the power to fight the empire.
"It's a needless worry. More importantly, --I don't have much time."
As I say this, Amagi and Brian, who had been holding back, come forward.
"We are ready for the ceremony. I'm glad there was no waste of time, Master."
"Brian here is very impressed with the way Liam-sama has been preparing for the ceremony!"
--they heard the story and everyone around them said, "Oh, this is what it was for!" They were surprised.
Stop it, you fools!!
Don't humiliate me!
When I fell silent, Wallace came forward, this time with a sense of accomplishment.
His gesture of bouncing his bangs with his hand was infuriating.
"Before you left, you reminded this me to only go ahead with the wedding preparations. I've prepared a grand wedding for Liam."
Wallace gives a thumbs-up, but everyone around me looks at me and smiles, "Oh my God."
This is not going to help my image!
My image, which I worked so hard to build as a villainous lord, is now a man who does a lot for his lover.
Such a reputation is unacceptable.
"It's not for Rosetta. It's for me. If you understand, get your asses in gear!"
I yell at them and they all respond in unison with knightly salutes to me in unison.
"Ha!"
The breathtaking attitude of the vassals made me feel somewhat irresistibly angry.
For some reason, the eyes of the vassals looking at me were not in awe, but as if they were looking at something cute.
This is absolutely unacceptable.
Follow current novels on (f)reew𝒆bnovel