I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! - Book 13: Chapter 3: A Distrustful Heart

TN: Sorry for the delay, was on a one-week family trip to Japan. Just got back 5 hours ago and immediately began translating.

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“How dare that minced woman order me around like that!”

On the bridge of her spaceship, Marie kicked and smashed a chunk of metal which served as her punching bag.

She was abusing it as if to vent her anger, but the crew onboard were used to her behavior and went about their work without paying it any heed.

Her adjutant, who stood beside her, tried to calm her down.

“It’s a shame we weren’t able to take down Viscount Toraido,” she said with a bitter smile.

Marie glared at her, expressing her dissatisfaction with Tia, aka the minced woman, and her orders.

“We woulda had their head by now if we’d been given a little more time!”

She spoke in a rough manner, not bothering with her pseudo-ladylike speech anymore. However, this was more in line with what her adjutant was used to.

Marie was feeling agitated by the ongoing war, making her subconsciously drop her fake demeanor.

“Orders were to let him escape and see what happened. Lady Marie, Lord Liam reminded us to follow the minced woman’s orders, did he not?”

“Gah!! Damn it all!”

Marie had no choice but to silently obey now that Liam’s name had been brought up.

Before the war started, Liam had expressly told her to “follow Tia’s orders.”

This was in view of Tia’s leadership capabilities. To fend off the subjugation army, Liam had decided that her judgment was to be prioritized.

Another powerful blow landed on the punching bag, deforming it. Marie was out of breath by now, and she slowly managed to regain her composure.

She felt sweaty, and her purple hair was sticking to her forehead. To keep it out of the way, she brushed it aside behind her shoulders.

“Then we’ll go after the other influential nobles. While we’re at it, give our men some rest.”

“Understood.”

Marie caught her breath while her adjutant issued orders to those around her.

(Rather than chasing the enemies around, it’s better to round them all up in one place and annihilate them. Having said that, despite shaving down their numbers, the enemies still outnumber us. If we were to fight them upfront, we’d no doubt suffer casualties as well. We better be prepared for that.)

She had a rough idea of what Tia was thinking when she gave her orders.

She also knew that if they were to engage the enemies as they were now, they wouldn’t come out of the battle unscathed.

Hence, she turned toward her adjutant and issued some orders of her own.

“Dispatch some squadrons to pursue the smaller fleets. Also, if they happen to come across a supply fleet, tell them to prioritize them over all others.”

Her long-time aide immediately heeded her orders.

“Yes, Ma’am! Oh, and I forgot to mention this earlier, but–”

“What is it now?”

Marie was going to criticize her adjutant if she spoke any nonsense, but what she said next came as a pleasant surprise.

“Lord Liam apparently issued similar orders.”

A jolt ran across Marie’s body, and a blush appeared on her cheeks.

“As expected of Lord Liam! He was able to see through the minced woman’s plans much faster than I was!”

◇

Tia covered her mouth with her hands upon hearing the news that Liam was going around destroying small-sized enemy fleets.

She wasn’t covering her mouth because she was surprised, but rather because she didn’t want anyone to see her grinning.

To say the least, she was pleased by the report and began heavily praising Liam for his foresight.

“–Lord Liam must’ve anticipated this before we began herding the enemies to one spot.”

A female knight who served as her adjutant asked for clarification.

“Does that mean Lord Liam foresaw Lady Christina’s plan?”

“Not quite. He simply foresaw this chain of events and decided it was best to deal with the stragglers and any supply fleets that pass by. He and I had no prior communication, but we were able to reach the same conclusion. This is proof of the bond that exists between Lord Liam and I, something that fossil woman utterly lacks!”

She was delighted by the fact that she had been able to arrive at the same conclusion as Liam without needing to consult him.

They had not discussed anything prior, yet they were both taking the optimal course of action, which to Tia was proof that there was an invisible bond connecting them.

Her adjutant agreed with her mistress’ words.

“Out of all the knights, I believe Lord Liam has the closest relationship with you, Lady Christina. There’s no doubt a special master-servant bond exists between you two.”

“Right!? Right!?”

The two of them were making a lot of noise, and because of their young appearance, they looked like high-school girls discussing who their crushes were.

If it weren’t for their knight’s uniforms, they would’ve been shooed off for causing a disturbance.

However, the content of their discussion was anything but rosy.

“We must continue annihilating the enemies to receive Lord Liam’s praise. Klaus has managed to successfully defend our home planet. We can’t afford to lose against him.”

“Indeed, we shall have them all wiped out. This will be their graveyard!”

An operator approached them with a report as they were having fun.

“P-pardon me…”

Tia, who was in a good mood, smiled at the operator.

“What may I help you with?”

“We were just told that Her Excellency Marie has also issued similar orders as Lord — Hyiiii!?”

The smile on her face vanished the moment it was revealed that Marie was doing the same thing as Liam.

“No need to report about such things. Just make sure you report to me if that fossil woman disobeys orders.”

“U-understood!”

The operator was frightened by her lack of expression and hurried back to his seat.

Tia, unaffected by this, held her hands together and made a praying gesture.

“Lord Liam, please await good news.”

◇

Onboard the flagship Argos, Eulisia can be seen rushing into the bridge, having received a report from the messengers that had arrived.

“Lord Liam! Lieutenant General Christina–”

I turn my head towards Eulisia, who appears panicked, and let out a small sigh before telling her that I’ve received the report as well.

“I know, I know. They told me through the ship’s intercom. She plans on rounding the enemies up, right?”

“Then what was the point of having me speak with the messengers?”

“I was hoping you could extract some more details out of them.”

I’ve come to learn that the higher up you are, the less accurate the reports from below become.

To investigate the details, I must do some digging myself.

My subordinates tend to omit information that would displease me when they make their report.

However, Eulisia is different. For some reason, she seems to take me a bit lightly.

I’m not exactly happy about that, but the fact that she isn’t afraid of me makes her a valuable resource.

“So, did you hear anything interesting?”

Eulisia returns to my side with a dissatisfied look on her face.

Nevertheless, she doesn’t hide the conversation she had with the messengers.

“It’s the same as always. Her Excellency Christina was apparently delighted to know that your thoughts matched hers.”

Tia plans on wiping out the enemies after gathering them all in one place.

As for the part about my thoughts matching hers, I have no clue what she’s on about. After all, I’m simply going after enemies that appear before us.

“I see. Then what about Marie?”

“Recently, she’s been using a lump of metal as a punching bag to relieve her stress. It probably wasn’t a good idea to have her serve under Her Excellency Christina.”

Eulisia doesn’t hesitate to point out my mistake.

“I had no choice. If they were given equal power, there would’ve been no semblance of order within our army. She’ll have to endure for now.”

In terms of human relationships, Tia and Marie have the worst compatibility. However, the same can’t be said about their abilities.

In fact, they’re highly compatible in the sense that Marie’s suitable as a front-line commander, whereas Tia excels at taking command from the rear.

Their style of commanding might be different, but they’re both competent leaders.

I’m sure we would’ve won either way regardless of who I assigned as the commander.

Not fully convinced, Eulisia asks why I didn’t take a different approach.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to unify the chain of command under His Excellency Klaus?”

“I’ve already burdened him with the task of protecting our home planet. Increasing his workload even further would’ve been too cruel.”

“Lord Liam, don’t you think you’re being too soft on His Excellency?”

“I cherish talents after all.”

Indeed, Klaus is excellent. He provides a sense of stability that Tia and Marie simply cannot.

The girls are also powerhouses in their own right, but that alone isn’t enough to push Klaus aside and earn them the title of supreme commander.

“And he’s managed to fulfill his duty of protecting the planet from the enemy’s main force. I’m contemplating what I should give him as a reward after the war’s over.”

Eulisia doesn’t seem to doubt Klaus’s ability either.

“Not only did he successfully defend the planet, but he did so while suffering very few casualties. He truly is the strongest knight of the Empire. Makes you wonder why he decided to stick with the Banfield Family.”

Hearing Eulisia’s words, the military officers around us became tense, wondering if I’d become enraged at her rude attitude.

Eulisia, you should take a moment to observe your surroundings.

“Personally, I find it more strange that he remained a regular knight without being promoted when he served his previous master.”

The reason he came to the Banfield Family was that the household which he previously served was destroyed.

With Klaus there, I find it incredible that the household managed to get itself destroyed.

Apparently, he wasn’t given an important position and was treated like a regular knight; the reason would forever remain a mystery to me.

Eulisia lets out a small sigh.

“Maybe he was too skilled and was regarded as a threat.”

“Ah, so it’s that pattern.”

“Lord Liam, shouldn’t you be careful as well? If you treat him too well, you’ll suffer terrible consequences if he happens to betray you.”

This reminds me of a story that a junior of mine once told in my previous life.

The story went like this: there was once an emperor who founded a country with the help of his loyal subordinates. However, after the country was founded, he began eliminating his subjects one after another.

My first thought after hearing the story was, “How terrible,” but now that I stand above so many others, I can empathize with the emperor.

There’s no reason to be afraid of being betrayed by someone mediocre or incompetent. We should instead be wary of being stabbed in the back by competent subordinates.

This, however, doesn’t apply to me.

“If I were to die due to Klaus’s betrayal, it would simply mean I wasn’t fated for big things.”

The crew members onboard stiffen up, but Eulisia continues the conversation, oblivious to the atmosphere on the bridge.

“Lord Liam is as bold as ever. Does the thought of being betrayed not scare you?”

I know what it feels like to be betrayed, and it’s for that reason that I don’t trust others.

I only favor Klaus because he always produces results.

“It doesn’t, because I don’t trust anyone in the first place.”

I say this with a small smile on my face.

The air on the bridge becomes even heavier.

Ever since I decided to walk the path of an evil lord, I’ve made up my mind to never trust another being.

I might have faith in them, but I would never outright trust them.

That’s what it means to be an evil lord.

Sensing how bad the atmosphere has become, I get up from my seat to return to my room.

“I’ll be retiring for the day. If anything happens, call me.”

The crew on the bridge sees me off with a salute.

◇

(What a pitiful person.)

Eulisia felt sorry for Liam.

Though he had a foul mouth, he was undoubtedly a wise lord. Through this interaction, she had caught a glimpse of the darkness that bound him.

Eulisia had known Liam for a long time.

They had met back when she still worked as a saleswoman for the Third Weapons Factory, and ever since she began following him around, she’d had the opportunity to get to know Liam as a person.

(The more I learn about him, the more I realize how deep his darkness runs. Given the environment he grew up in, it’s a miracle he became what he is today.)

Liam’s darkness – it must’ve stemmed from the abandonment he experienced at the hands of his parents when he was still young. To make matters worse, he inherited a huge debt and was forced into managing the Banfield Family’s territory as its young lord.

As Eulisia looked at the door through which Liam left, one of the soldiers approached her.

“Secretary-dono’s words had us trembling like leaves in the middle of a hurricane. There are only a handful of people in the territory that can speak to Lord Liam like that.”

“Is that so? He seemed to be enjoying it though.”

The soldier’s cheeks twitched when she told him that Liam enjoyed their conversation.

“We wouldn’t have the guts to speak to him like that even as a joke.”

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Brian (´;ω;｀): “Lord Liam’s darkness runs so deep, it’s painful… or is it? Anyway, I feel sorry for him.”

Brian ( *¯ ꒳¯*): “Finally, on the 25th of December, Volume 6 of ‘I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!’ and Volume 1 of ‘I’m the Heroic Knight of an Intergalactic Empire!’ would go on sale. Our gift to you is the tale of Lord Liam’s success. Please enjoy the stories of Lord Liam and his triumphs through the light novels, which have received a considerable upgrade from the web novel!”

Wakagi-chan (*´∇｀)ノ: “There’s a present from Mob Seka as well! On the 28th of December, Volume 11 of ‘The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs’ will be released, alongside the famous Marie Route! We present to you, Volume 1 of ‘That World of Otome Games is Tough for Us’!”

Wakagi-chan (；・`д・´): “By the way, why does she get to have a novel written about her based on a bonus chapter that came with a questionnaire? If a story about me gets included in a questionnaire bonus, would I also get to be the main protagonist of a new series?”

Brian (´・ω・`;): “–Hell would have to freeze over first before that happens.”

Wakagi-chan (ｏ゜Д゜)＝◯)`3゜)∵