I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! Vol 12 Chapter 4

Published at 1st of November 2023 07:45:02 AM

The Imperial Army had gathered at a space fortress. Not only did the fleet consist of the Empire’s regular army, but the private armies of the upper nobility were present as well.

Cleo, who was observing the situation from inside the fortress, was reminded of the phrase “tyranny of the majority”.

“There are battleships everywhere, as far as the eyes can see. I’m even starting to pity Liam, who must deal with all these. Our army is six million strong, and if we were to include those that provide logistical support, the number exceeds ten million.”

Although she spoke words of sympathy, there was a faint smile on her face.

Standing next to her was Marquis Hampson, a wild-looking man with long hair which billowed behind him.

Despite his rough appearance, he was wearing a suit and holding a glass of sake.

“Without an army of this size, we can’t be assured of victory. I’m sure Duke Banfield would consider it an honor.”

It was truly a warrior-like response, but Cleo asked Hampson for his real opinion.

“Is that what you really think?”

Hampson flashed a fearless smile at Cleo, who seemed like she couldn’t understand what he was saying.

“As a warrior, yes. However, as someone who’s also in charge of a territory near the borders, I can’t help but call him a fool.”

“A fool?”

“What else could he be? He might be acting out of his sense of justice, but it doesn’t change the fact that he went against His Highness repeatedly, which resulted in the formation of this subjugation force. He’s a fool for allowing this to happen.”

Cleo felt better when she heard Hampson mock Liam.

(But someone like you, who didn’t support me when I was still weak, would never be put in the same situation. You lot only began snuggling up to me when I became Crown Prince.)

Hampson, who was several centuries old, was acting as Cleo’s deputy commander.

He might feel dissatisfied serving as the assistant of someone so young and ignorant, but he was obeying orders from above as Cleo was the Crown Prince, in other words, the next Emperor.

“I see, I see. Indeed, Liam’s a fool.”

“I pity his citizens instead for having such a foolish lord. After all, once the subjugation force enters the Banfield Family’s territory, everything they have would be taken away. All the wealth that the Banfield Family has amassed over the years would become ours.”

The goal of the subjugation force wasn’t to just defeat Liam.

To prevent a rebellious noble from ever appearing again, they were planning on making an example out of him and his territory.

Their planets would be razed to the ground, making them uninhabitable, and all the wealth in the territory would be plundered.

As for his citizens…

More prominent figures joined them as they were having this conversation.

A tall man who reached two meters in height was wearing a modified military uniform, which was issued to members of the regular army.

The coat he wore indicated that he held the rank of a general, but strangely, its design resembled that of what a space pirate might wear.

Furthermore, his hat featured a skull, and he was sporting an eyepatch.

This newly arrived general was Cosmo.

“Since we’re on the topic of looting, I hope you don’t forget about our share. My subordinates were thrilled to hear that they could ravage the Banfield Family’s territory.”

Cosmo, who was dressed like a space pirate despite being a general of the regular army, roared with laughter.

Hampson let out a small sigh.

“So you’re here, Pirate General. Of course, your men will have their share. The Banfield Family has devoted a lot of effort to domestic affairs. The planets they own are treasure troves in and of themselves.”

Cosmo smacked his lips.

“That’s good to hear! You see, with him being a pirate hunter and all, I have a lot of men that hold a grudge against him. They’re a lot more enthusiastic about this job than usual. We’ve gone ahead and assembled a massive fleet of 60,000. Not a single coin would be spared once we’re done with the Banfield Family.”

Cosmo used to be a space pirate, and the special missions’ fleet that he led consisted of former space pirates as well.

It was a fleet made up of fierce men that underwent harsh selection tests and deadly training after being captured by the Empire.

They were usually referred to as the Bandit Fleet and were forced to do much of the Empire’s dirty work.

Cosmo, their leader, had a machine embedded in his left eye.

He was once a renowned figure among the space pirates. However, now he served as the Empire’s loyal dog, having climbed his way up to the position of general.

A young man with purple hair stood next to Cosmo. He was Viscount Toraido, the head of the Moss Family.

He was only a Viscount, but he had been called here as he held a lot of power.

“Personally, I’m more drawn to the achievement of defeating Duke Banfield. I was promised a promotion if I could successfully complete this mission.”

Unlike Cosmo whose focus was on looting, Toraido was more interested in the fame and rewards that came with defeating Liam.

Hampson briefly introduced Toraido to Cleo, who was tilting her head.

“Your Highness may be unaware, but Viscount Toraido is a famous nobleman. Just like Banfield, his territory is in the countryside, but his power exceeds that of most Earls.”

Toraido was someone who had risen up in a similar fashion to Liam.

Once a poor Viscount, he introduced countless reforms and developed his territory, successfully building a powerful army.

“Your Highness, it’s an honor to meet you. For the sake of this expedition, the Moss Family has sent out an elite fleet of 20,000, one which can give the Banfield Family’s fleet a run for its money.”

Cleo narrowed her eyes upon being told that the Moss Family’s fleet was no worse than the Banfield’s.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. They’ve received former training, and all our ships are equipped with state-of-the-art technology. You Highness, it would be wrong to assume that the Banfield Family was the only one to have accumulated power.”

There were other aristocrats like Liam in the frontier.

Liam no longer seemed as impressive as before when Cleo learned this.

“What you’re saying is that if Liam can do it, others can as well.”

“Indeed. However, when it comes to swordsmanship, I have no choice but to admit defeat. One Flash is simply too dangerous. We would have to trouble our last Sword Saint in this regard.”

Toraido turned to look at a handsome man with long hair, dressed like a western knight. He was wielding a rapier, a sword that specialized in piercing its enemies.

Sword Saint Dustin, the Empire’s last Sword Saint.

“This one is the only remaining Sword Saint. The other three were defeated by One Flash. No doubt, it’s a monstrous school of swordsmanship. This one can’t help but wonder why no one knew about it until now.”

Even though Dustin looked young, he referred to himself as “this one”, which made him sound like an old man.

They were all powerful figures in the Empire.

Cleo had just one question to ask them.

“I have a question for you all.”

Everyone turned towards her.

Cleo’s eyes were narrowed, and her expression was serious.

“Will we be able to defeat Liam and the Banfield Family?”

Although the Banfield Family was a Ducal household, it still resided in the countryside. With an army of six million, victory was all but assured.

Hampson was puzzled by this.

“Is the commander-in-chief doubting our victory?”

Similarly, the others seemed confused as well.

Hence, Cleo clarified her question.

“Naturally, we will be bringing home victory. However, simply winning isn’t enough. If we end up taking a big loss in the process, Liam’s fame won’t diminish.”

The story of how a frontier noble managed to stir up the Empire would surely be passed on.

What Cleo wanted was an overwhelming victory.

“What I’m asking is whether we can achieve an overwhelming victory against Liam.”

Cleo, who knew Liam well, was worried that the people gathered here wouldn’t be enough to crush the Banfield Family.

Hampson was the first to speak up.

“The Banfield Family is certainly strong; there’s no denying that. After all, they’re the only ones in the history of the Empire to have managed to invade the Kingdom of Dominion’s capital. But so what?”

Toraido chuckled while covering his mouth.

“It seems he hasn’t fully recovered from the battle against the Kingdom of Dominion. And even if he has, he won’t be able to overturn the difference in numbers.”

Cleo glared at them, thinking they were underestimating Liam.

“Many people have underestimated him and have come to regret it.”

Toraido shrugged before speaking in a serious voice.

“Rest assured, we aren’t looking down on him. In fact, I’m a fan of his. As someone that also inherited a territory that was close to ruins, I understand how much hard work he must’ve put in.”

“You respect him? Then—”

“Don’t get me wrong, Your Highness. Although I respect his hard work, I have no qualms about killing him if it means it’ll benefit my territory. What must be done, has to be done.”

As an individual, Toraido respected Liam, who had been placed in a similar situation as him.

However, all was fair in war, and he wouldn’t hesitate to kill Liam if the chance arose.

Arms crossed, Cosmo gave Cleo a displeased look, but his displeasure wasn’t directed at the prince, but rather at Liam.

“As former pirates, we know how terrifying Liam can be. Even so, none of us believe for a second that we’ll lose this battle. I promise you an overwhelming victory.”

Cleo then turned to face Dustin.

“Liam belongs to the School of One Flash. Can you beat him?”

Dustin returned an unexpected answer, a smile hanging on his lips.

“If all the records are true, it’d be impossible. There’s no one in the Empire that can beat him.”

“!?”

Cleo was shocked by this response, but Dustin continued whilst shaking his head.

“Your Highness, in a fair duel, this one stands no chance of winning. However, it’s important to remember that we would be fighting on the battlefield. Liam’s One Flash won’t have much opportunity to shine. After all, we’re not obligated to face him head-on.”

Sword Saint Dustin was rightfully afraid to cross swords with Liam, but the corners of his mouth tugged slightly upward as he revealed his strategy.

“To begin with, he’s the commander-in-chief. He won’t personally appear to fight on the battlefield. And if he did, we can simply run away from him and avoid confrontation.”

“But he’s not the only one that can use One Flash.”

“As long as it’s not Liam, this one can hold them off. Even if they can recreate the One Flash on their mobile knights, it’ll be over once we surround them.”

Although Dustin was a Sword Saint, he wasn’t planning on fighting a fair battle.

Cleo laughed when she heard this.

“—How reliable.”

Having confirmed that her subordinates weren’t reckless fools that underestimated their opponents, Cleo became confident.

(We may be up against Liam, but with these four leading the charge, I have no doubt that we’ll be able to bring home an overwhelming victory.)

———————————————————————————————–

Wakagi-chan (゜∀゜)ノ: “Volume 5 of the novel and Volume 2 of the manga for ‘I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!’ are now on sale in bookstores! Please avoid spoilers! Avoid them, I say!”

Brian (´；ω；｀): “Not only was Lord Liam betrayed by his parents when he was young, but he was also betrayed by His Highness Cleo despite all the support he’s provided. It’s painful. It’s also painful to see how little Lord Liam cares about others betraying him.”

Brian (；・`ω・´): “Once again, please don’t spoil and novel and the manga. Don’t spoil the fun for the others. ”

Chapter end