I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! - Book 13: Chapter 4: Both Armies Gather

By the time Viscount Toraido joined up, Marquis Hampson had finished reorganizing his fleet.

That said, all he did was gather up the survivors. Although the quality of their ships was good, the fleet that was hastily put together on the battlefield could barely be considered organized.

After observing the situation of the subjugation army, Viscount Toraido boarded the fortress-class battleship that now served as their flagship.

This wasn’t the ship that Cleo had been using; rather, it was one owned by the subjugation army.

Cleo’s flagship had long been destroyed by the Banfield Family, probably reduced to nothing more than space junk.

Viscount Toraido arrived at the meeting room where the top brass were holding a discussion.

Before stepping in, he took a deep breath. He had to calm himself down so as to not punch Cleo the moment he entered the room.

“–Pardon me.”

The first person to greet him was Marquis Hampson.

“Glad that you could join us. So, how many of your troops are still left?”

After a brief greeting, Marquis Hampson got straight to the point, showing how cornered the subjugation force truly was.

“My fleet’s been reduced to around half its size. What’s more, only a third of them would be able to put up a proper fight.”

“I see… Regardless, it’s good that we have you here.”

“Yes, there were many close calls.”

Marquis Hampson led Viscount Toraido to his seat, where he was spoken to by Cleo.

Cleo appeared slightly nervous, probably feeling guilty about their situation.

“I’m glad to see that you’re safe.”

This struck a cord on the Viscount’s nerves.

He was extremely angry with Cleo, but he tried his best to mask his expression.

“I’m glad to see that Your Highness is safe as well.”

(A classic example of someone incompetent. It seems I’ve been underestimating the Duke. How was he able to make this good-for-nothing the Crown Prince?)

This war had made it glaringly clear how incompetent Cleo was, highlighting Liam’s excellence.

However, the war had not concluded yet, and Dustin asked Marquis Hampson what they were going to do next.

“How are our forces looking like?”

Marquis Hampson sneered, not hiding his disdain for Dustin.

“We have two million ships in total, but due to supply and maintenance issues, only around 600,000 are operational.”

They had started out with six million troops, but now they only had a tenth of that remaining.

Viscount Toraido’s expression soured.

“–How about the Banfield Family? How many troops can they mobilize at the moment?”

The subjugation army had suffered catastrophic losses, but the Banfield Family hadn’t come out of this unscathed either.

Thus, the question boiled down to how many troops the Banfield Family could spare in their worn-down state.

Hampson smiled seeing how anxious the Viscount was.

“We predict that they’d have around a hundred thousand ships at their disposal, two hundred thousand max.”

Viscount Toraido was slightly relieved when he heard this.

“A six-fold difference.”

This, however, wasn’t enough to reassure Dustin.

“Under normal circumstances, that would be more than enough to face off against an opponent. But we mustn’t forget that our opponent is the Banfield Family. They’ve overturned such odds countless times before. Moreover, they don’t have issues getting resupplied like we do. There’s also the problem of our army’s morale.”

Originally, this was supposed to be a war where victory was assured. Having lost so terribly, the soldiers no longer had the will to fight.

Marquis Hampson was aware of this problem as well.

“Such tricky opponents. It’s as if we’re dealing with the Kingdom of Dominion.”

There was a striking resemblance between the Banfield Family and the warmongers of the Kingdom of Dominion.

The people around him nodded with grave expressions on their faces.

◇

-Meanwhile, on the fortress-class battleship of the Banfield Family-

Fortress-class battleships are spherical in shape, and as their name suggests, they’re like a portable fortress, equipped with docks that can accept ships for maintenance. They can also serve as a simple base.

I’ve had one such battleship deployed to the battlefield to carry out resupply and maintenance.

When I arrive at the conference room with Eulisia, I’m greeted by Tia and Marie, who kneel down and bow.

“We’ve been awaiting your arrival, Lord Liam.”

“All of us have been deeply moved by your incredible performance.”

The other knights and military officers also perform a salute.

Raising my hand, I tell them to take a seat.

“Enough with the flattery. Let’s get the meeting underway.”

We had to go through the hassle of meeting in person to confirm that we were all safe.

In a world where science and magic have developed, there are numerous ways to make the deceased appear alive.

It’s possible to make it seem as if someone’s alive through the screens when in fact the person’s been dead for a long time.

For example, by referencing images and voice recordings of the deceased, one could recreate and project them onto a monitor, after which the imposter could listen in on the conversation.

In other words, I had to show up in person to prove that I was alive.

I sit down on a luxurious chair that’s been prepared for me, with Tia and Marie standing on either side.

Eulisia moves away while staring accusingly at the two.

“That’s supposed to be my spot,” she mutters.

–Anyway, putting that aside, we begin discussing our future plans.

“You’ve all done a stellar job repelling such a massive fleet. I’m thankful for your hard work.”

I continue after praising my subordinates for a job well done defending the territory against the imperial army.

“It was also a good idea to herd the enemies to one place. This way, we can take out the trash all at once. So, what are we working with?”

We were able to gather the surviving members of the imperial army to one place, but the problem’s with our numbers.

Tia gives an immediate response.

“We currently have 150,000 ships available for combat. Klaus-dono is reorganizing his fleet on our home planet, whereas Number Three and Four’s fleets are receiving resupplies and maintenance.”

“Will they be able to make it in time?”

Would Klaus and the Numbers’ fleets be able to join us in the upcoming battle?

This time, Marie steps forward.

“The enemies have already regrouped. Even if they do end up joining us, it would be after the battle has commenced. Should we rush them?”

“–No, we’ll leave it to Klaus’s judgment. Well then, how big is the enemy fleet?”

A 3D projection appears in the center of the conference room, displaying the size of our forces along with the enemies’.

It appears the enemies number around two million. We were able to chip them down to a third of what they started with, but we’re still severely outnumbered.

However, everyone here knows that the subjugation army can’t operate all two million ships.

Tia shares her prediction.

“Without adequate supplies and maintenance, we can expect most of their ships to be unmanned. They would probably be in autopilot mode, which means we can basically take them out of the equation.”

People in this world show a strong aversion to artificial intelligence.

Actually, it’s more accurate to say that they fear what artificial intelligence could do.

Their unwillingness to wield artificial intelligence has led to unmanned battleships and mobile knights having terrible performances on the battlefield.

It’s also the reason why we always have people on board, as inefficient as it is.

Marie continues to voice her thoughts.

“They should have around 300,000 to 500,000 operational ships. However, as they’re low on supplies and can’t receive proper maintenance, we can expect them to go for a short decisive battle.”

A decisive battle in enemy territory without being able to replenish any supplies.

I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes, either.

“Still, the enemies outnumber us greatly. Don’t let your guard down.”

Tia and Marie’s expressions become serious.

–I can’t tell how effective my warning was, but we must be careful not to grow complacent.

Celebrations can wait until the war is over.

“It seems Klaus won’t be able to make it in time. Hence, I’ll be assuming command, with Tia and Marie as my lieutenants.”

In actuality, Tia and Marie will be laying down orders while I act as the figurehead.

Other than me, no one present has enough authority to act as the commander.

Having been appointed as vice-commanders, the girls respond with a knights’ salute.

“All hail Lord Liam!”

“We promise not to disappoint you!”

I give the 3D projection another look before smirking.

“You’ve had your fun already; now it’s time for mine. I’ll make sure to torment you all little by little.”

As always, my evil lord’s act is impeccable.

I reckon I cut a dashing figure.

◇

After the meeting, three of the generals that had been present gathered to discuss what just happened.

“Lord Liam sounded pretty angry.”

“Can’t blame him. The territory’s in shambles.”

“Agreed, the imperial army was ruthless. They burned and looted planets that were once part of the Empire. How are they any different from space pirates?”

Liam had declared during the meeting that he would take his time to torment the enemies, but no one considered this inappropriate or excessive.

“It was the right call to have the citizens evacuate, even if it meant forcefully relocating some of them.”

“I’m getting a headache just thinking about the aftermath.”

“I bet the bureaucrats are racking their brains over it as well.”

Once the war ended, the military and the government would be busy dealing with the aftermath.

Still, the generals were able to afford a smile.

“We should worry about all that after we win the war. Lord Liam will be participating in this battle as well; we can’t afford to put up a shameful display.”

“We’ve finally come this far. Dying now would be a sick joke.”

“–Let’s pray that we’ll all be alive to drink alcohol after the war’s over.”

After pumping themselves up, the generals returned to their respective ships.

◇

“–Huh? Lord Liam is participating in the upcoming battle?”

“Yes, sir! He’s declared that he would personally lead the army and annihilate the subjugation force. His presence has significantly boosted our soldiers’ morale!”

“That so.”

(WHYYY!? WHY ISN’T HE COMING BACK!?)

Klaus, who had been reorganizing his fleet back on the main planet, was upset to hear that Liam would be taking part in the decisive battle against the imperial army.

Liam was supposed to be their supreme commander, yet here he was, claiming that he’d lead the charge against the subjugation force.

Klaus very much wanted to scold the military officers for allowing Liam to participate in the battle, but he also knew that no one could stop Liam once he’d made up his mind about something.

(We’ll have to send reinforcements immediately, and it can’t be in small groups.)

After much consideration, Klaus decided he’d have to be a little reckless now that he knew Liam would be fighting in the front lines.

“Prioritize the maintenance and resupplying of Number Three and Four’s fleets.”

“Should we rush them?”

“Yes, this is an urgent matter, after all. Oh, and have you heard anything from those two?”

“Apparently, they’ve joined up with Lady Ellen, who would be taking them to the battlefield with her. Should we prepare high-velocity spaceships for them?”

They were referring to Rinho and Fuuka, who had returned to the Banfield Family’s home planet.

While Fuuka had lost her Griffin replica, Rinho and Ellen’s were still functional.

Ellen had also returned while escorting the injured soldiers and damaged ships. Likewise, Emma, a.k.a Number Four, had returned with her fleet for supplies and maintenance after completing her mission.

“–No need for that. We’ll send out their fleets in advance, taking along a supply fleet.”

Klaus was going to provide as much support to Liam as possible so that he wouldn’t be troubled on the battlefield.

Confused, his subordinate asked for confirmation.

“Are you sure, Your Excellency? That will affect the reorganization process of our fleet.”

Naturally, there would be consequences to switching up the order of resupply and maintenance.

However, Klaus had made up his mind.

“Yes, proceed with my orders. Also, let the others know that I’ll be heading out as well.”

“Your Excellency!?”

This came as a great surprise to his subordinate, but from Klaus’s point of view, it was the natural thing to do in this situation.

(It wouldn’t do for me to stay in the rear while Lord Liam fights in the front lines. Besides, I’ll be leaving behind my talented subordinates, so my absence should hardly matter.)

And thus, Klaus hurriedly went about providing support for his carefree master.

———————————————————————————————————-

Wakagi-chan in Christmas style ( *゜∀゜): “MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE! ! NOW, WHERE MY PRESENTS AT–”

Brian (´；ω；`)ｒ鹵~＜≪巛;゜Д゜)ノ: “UGYAAAAA!!”

Brian (´；ω；`): “An evil plant is on the lookout for presents, it’s painful. Anyway, leaving that aside–”

Brian (｀・ω・´): “At long last, 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!’ are out. The contents of the light novels are different from that of the web novels, so please consider purchasing a copy! You can enjoy them either through electronic copies or physical ones!”

Brian ( *¯ ꒳¯*): “On the 28th of December, Volume 11 of ‘The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs’ will be released, alongside Volume 1 of ‘That World of Otome Games is Tough for Us’! Personally, I find Mylene-dono’s cover the most charming, but Marie-dono wearing a dress is a sight to behold as well!”