I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! - Book 11: Chapter 8.2: Strong Man

The fleet of the High Kingdoms led by Aluna was rescuing a friendly fleet that had been destroyed by the Banfield family.

However, the reason for saving lives is typical of the High Kingdoms.

To obtain as much information as possible about the Banfield family.

In particular, they wanted to know how powerful the strongman they were about to fight was.

It was the same for Aluna.

She brought a soldier whose injuries had not fully healed into the conference room and surrounded him with a large group of people, asking him a lot of questions.

“The number of the enemy has really not reached a million? What audacity!”

“If this were anyone else, it would seem bloody, but it’s Liam and Klaus.”

“The knights want Liam, and the generals want Klaus’ head. Why not put a bounty on their heads?”

“Tactless. It’s tactless. It’s not necessary for a pure fight.”

Liam and Klaus are often the topic of conversation.

But Aluna is also curious about the other commanders.

She asks the wounded soldier.

“Besides Liam and Klaus, were there any other enemies to be on the lookout for?”

I heard that a fleet of 10,000 ships, acting as a ranger, was troublesome. I heard that it was led by a knight named Marie.”

“Marie? There was a knight named Marie in the Empire a long time ago. Marie Marian. When I was a child, I was excited to hear about the three knights.”

Aluna, smiling, recalls the story of a female knight who existed in the empire when she was a child.

The Empire knight existed more than 2,000 years ago, and although the High Kingdoms at that time did not have the opportunity to fight, rumors had reached them.

The name was forgotten in the Empire, but it still remains in the High Kingdoms.

It is the character of the people of the High Kingdom to love stories about heroes.

The others joined in on Aluna’s conversation.

She was called a mad dog because of her wild fighting style. She is an enemy I would like to fight at least once.”

Aluna also has many reasons to want to fight.

But Marie is a person from the past.

Instead, Aluna names a knight who might have been able to fight.

“It’s a shame I can’t fight. I remember being disappointed when I heard that the princess knight who could have fought was defeated by a space pirate.”

“Is this the Princess Knight Christiana? She was a first-rate knight and general. It is unfortunate that she was defeated due to betrayal by her allies.”

If the princess knight Christiana had lived, Aluna might have had a chance to fight.

She muttered regretfully.

“It’s just that she is nothing more than a vessel for being betrayed by her allies. But it is something I would have liked to have met on the battlefield.”

In a conference room where private conversations abound, a wounded soldier opens his mouth with a mysterious look on his face.

“You may not believe me, but–”

He then begins to tell an unbelievable story.

“The commander of the fleet that was active as a ranger was Marie Sera Marian. And the one who captured the asteroid Tres was Christiana Sera Rosebrea.”

Aluna narrows her eyes and considers the possibility that the injured soldier is plotting against her.

He does not appear to be lying, nor does he appear to have been led to believe a lie.

If he were, he would not be brought here.

He is here after undergoing various tests.

“I thought the princess knight’s middle name was Leta? Or was she just named after a great figure?”

“No idea. But it is true that our allies risked their lives to obtain this information.”

While everyone looked doubtful, Aluna ordered her subordinates to produce the documents.

“Give me the battle records of those two commanders.”

“We have not yet obtained the detailed data. I’ve only reproduced what I’ve heard from our allies.”

“I don’t care, just get them out!”

The reproduced fleet battle was immediately projected in the air, and Aluna watched its movements with a serious expression.

She then broke into a smile and began to applaud.

“That’s good.”

“Your Highness?”

Aluna stands up from her seat as her men are puzzled.

“I don’t care if they are real or not! But I admit that they are real. I am looking forward to fighting them. Let’s hope they live up to their name as heroes.”

Smiling broadly, Aluna left the conference room.

◇ ◇

“Liam-sama, leave everything to this Christiana! I’ll show you that I’m better than the fossil woman.”

“Do not believe this nonsense, Liam-sama! The mincing woman’s brain has been so messed up that she can’t think straight. Leave everything to me! I will make sure that the High Kingdom will bleed to death!”

–I was looking at Tia and Marie, who were approaching me with three-dimensional images, with cold eyes.

A large-scale battle with the High Kingdom is about to begin, and I am being shown the struggle between Tia and Marie.

In the three-dimensional image, Klaus is also there.

But this one was quietly waiting for the right moment to speak up himself.

I let out a small sigh.

“Haah–Klaus, you’re in charge of the whole thing.”

“Eh? Is it okay? If it is the case, it would be preferable for Liam-sama to take command as the overall commander, wouldn’t it?”

“I’m supposed to just sit here and be a decoration? You’re going to assist me and take overall command anyway, aren’t you? If that’s the case, I’ll do as I please. Incidentally, it is the crown prince, Aluna, who intrigues me the most right now. I’m looking forward to fighting her now.”

The former crown prince Izel was indeed a strong man.

Then it would be interesting to have them deal with Fuuka and Rinho.

If I say I’m free to do it, Tia will rush to rebuke me.

“No, you won’t! Liam-sama, as the general-in-chief, please take command from the safest place. Then the Banfield family will be able to fight with peace of mind.”

“They feel safe just because I’m sitting here? What a bunch of conceited people you are.”

“The presence of Liam-sama is the cornerstone of the Banfield family. It is only with this pillar of existence that we are able to fight.”

I understand what you are trying to say, but I feel it doesn’t make sense to me.

I experienced despair in my previous life, and I don’t like people who just give orders without working.

Also – I want to see how my troops are doing in the field.

If there is someone who is useful, I can bring him up, and if there is someone who only has a high position, I will move him to the left.

“Don’t order me around.”

I glared at Tia, and she looked at me with a frightened look on her face.

–I would listen to her because she was a competent person, but I would have killed her if she was just a talker.

Marie comes up with a compromise.

“Well, then, let’s prepare the most elite fleet for the escort. We must have at least 100,000 men.”

“If we gather that many, it will affect the entire fleet. I think it’s better to take only 30,000 from my SS and go around. It would be easier for us to move around.”

“What!?”

Marie’s eyes widened, and Tia next to me was muttering “unnecessary things”.

As I was deciding things on my own, Klaus opened his mouth, as if he couldn’t keep quiet about the quandary.

“It won’t happen. If we lose Liam-sama, we will lose the game. If that happens, the Banfield family will never recover.”

Klaus was right, but I couldn’t help but mutter in a voice that was inaudible to everyone around me.

“Even if it happens to me, though, the Banfield family will remain.”

“What was that, sir?”

“Nothing. But rest assured. I won’t be defeated so easily.”

The more confidence I showed, the more anxious all three of them became.

The face understands that to be careless on the battlefield can be fatal.

But I have a track record of doing this, and I’m pondering what I can say to convince them.

“I’ll come up with a compromise. Tell the whole army that I am the commander-in-chief and that I am in the rear.”

“Then you’ll be able to move around as you please after all!”

Marie, surprised, was not convinced by my compromise.

“I’ll do as I please! If you have a problem with it, you’ll be demoted!”

When I told them that I was going to move them to the side, for some reason, all three of them became more vigorous.

Tia was not afraid of a demotion.

“If you demote me, you’ll think twice about it!

“Just think about it.”

Marie says it would still be better.

“Then I will accept the demotion. I’ll make sure I can convince Liam-sama to accept it.”

“I thought you were competing for a promotion.”

Next is Klaus.

I’m taken aback by the words of a man who has risen to become the first knight of the Banfield family.

“The two of you will continue to be indispensable members of the Banfield family. In that case, I will accept the demotion.”

“Are you serious?”

“Yes, I’m serious. I am willing to accept my return to the rank of common knight even now.”

My subordinates who refuse to let me go out to battle even if I revert them lowest ranks of knighthood.

My knights are surprisingly loyal.

Do they think they are lucky to have less work if they are demoted because their conditions are better than others?

No, I don’t think so. Not Tia and Marie, but definitely not Klaus.

I raised my hands in a small gesture of surrender.

“Sorry. But no demotion talk.”

“I see. So you’ll be leading from the rear then?”

For some reason, Klaus, who looked disappointed for a moment, seemed to think I had given up on the idea of going into battle.

“No, I’ll do as I please.”

Klaus showed his dismay at me as he leaked out a sigh.

–You guys would have taken a pay cut if you weren’t so competent.

◇ ◇

A few weeks later.

Tia was fighting against the fleet of the High Kingdoms that was gathering.

Seven hundred thousand ships of the House of Banfield.

“Attack them! If we take too long here, it will be difficult to regroup.”

Tia, looking at the enemy with a bitter face, was feeling impatient because the 350,000 ships that had gathered were more persistent than she had expected.

In the rear – the main fleet of Aluna is returning from the imperial territory.

If they took their time here, the Banfield family could be pinched and literally wiped out.

Tia’s Third Army was on the offensive against the High Kingdoms’ forces.

The pirates fear the onslaught of the Banfield family, but the fleet of the High Kingdoms is holding out.

Rather, it is the fleet of the House of Banfield that is frightened by the enemy.

The second-in-command vents his dissatisfaction with his allies.

“Our allies are more troublesome than our enemies.”

Tia agrees with her second-in-command and shakes her fist against the elbow rest of her seat.

“You cowards!”

The fleet, defeated against the High Kingdom’s army, was on the lookout for the enemy.

When they should have been on the offensive, they were on the defensive and the fleet’s movements were disorganized.

The Third Army had absorbed the fleets of its allies and swelled to a scale of over 100,000 ships, many of which were defeated fleets.

Tia was seething at the fleet that was not moving as it should.

Then, her second-in-command noticed a change in the enemy’s movements.

He hurriedly examined the details and saw two mobile knights slashing toward the enemy fleet, which were projected near Tia.

The second-in-command reports on the mass-produced avid of Fuuka and Rinho.

“They are swordsmen of One-Flash. They have cut into the enemy lines!”

“I can tell when I see them!”

The success of the swordsmen who inherited One-Flash was demonstrated by the mass-production type with high basic performance – the white avid named [Amaryllis], with the aircraft that Rinho rides called Ein and the aircraft that Fuuka rides called Tsubai.

The voice in the cockpit of the two women reaches the bridge.

“Look, look, if you don’t run away, you’ll die!”

Rinho aims at the enemy battleship and destroys it.

“Ha! If you can’t win at this level, then Senior brother’s knights aren’t much better! I’ll be the number two!”

The number Liam gives to his knights.

The numbers that Liam gives to his knights are called “Knight Numbers” in the Banfield family.

It is a number given to the knight of Liam’s choice – a sign of Liam’s trust.

Klaus, the first knight, was given the number “1,” but no one has had it since.

Christiana is angered by Fuka’s disrespect for the Knight Numbers.

“I would have taken a good beating–if it weren’t for Master Liam-sama’s little Junior sisters.”

The adjutant took advantage of the enemy fleet’s loss of formation to begin rebuilding his side of the fleet.

“I will take this opportunity to reestablish the fleet’s formation.”

“Tell the cowards to position themselves in front. Tell them that if they run away, we will shoot them from behind. –It’s all just a bunch of surging masses.”

The inhabitants of the newly acquired territory were not accustomed to the ways of the Banfield family.

The bridge, where Rinho and Fuuka’s laughter echoes, is enveloped in a strange hush.