December 25th
"I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! Volume 2"
January 30th
"The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs, Volume 7"
Releasing for two consecutive months.
I worked hard on this one too (ヽ´ω`)
"How many planets have we visited now?"
The planet we landed on was, yet again, a terrible place.
Walking with Rinhou, Fuuka, and Ellen, I was dressed in the style of a ronin in a kimono.
The town we visited had no vitality, which spoke volumes about the skill of the magistrate governing the planet.
"Are all these guys idiots? Do they think just squeezing the people dry is enough?"
At first, I thought, "They're doing a good job!" but when the same situation repeats over and over, it gets tiresome.
Simply exploiting people is the work of a second-rate ruler or worse.
Fuuka looked at the faces of the populace, then turned her gaze to me.
"I guess you really are amazing, senior disciple."
"What is?"
"In your domain, senior disciple, the faces of the people are different. They're full of life, right? We've seen other planets, but... how should I put it? Everyone's eyes are dead."
Their eyes are dead probably because they understand they're being exploited.
As I thought, second-rate rulers are no good.
"My subjects are just a bunch of idiots who don't even realize they're being squeezed dry."
I've trembled at their sheer stupidity before, but I'm doing a much better job than this planet's magistrate.
Rinhou was playing a game on her terminal as she walked.
"More importantly, what are we really going to do? This is the last one, right?"
This journey to find my Master ends here.
It's because Amagi got mad at me.
◇
"Master, how long do you intend to continue this journey?"
"I'm not going back until I find my Master!"
Amagi, who was taking care of me in my room aboard the ship, hadn't stayed behind in the territory.
She said there was no longer any need for them to interfere.
"You cannot leave everything to Lord Klaus. Please return."
Faced with Amagi's firm attitude, I wanted to show her that I wouldn't be weak forever.
"Fine, I'll go back just once."
"—Please be serious."
The expressionless Amagi stared at me.
Her eyes were like those of someone scolding a selfish child.
I could tell.
"N-No."
"Let us return to the domain and hold your wedding with Lady Rosetta. Weren't you supposed to inherit the ducal title?"
"I just want the title."
"No."
"I-Is that a no-go?"
"Master, please consider your position."
Amagi wouldn't yield, so I decided this would be the last time.
"Alright. I'll make the next one the last."
"Then, I shall contact the capital planet and inform them as such."
◇
—And so, the journey to find my Master was coming to an end.
"I'd like to find at least one clue, though."
Sighing, I headed for our destination: the dojo of the Issen-ryuu School.
Apparently, there was an imposter claiming to be the originator, and the students there had a reputation for being very strong.
The magistrate had supposedly hired them as his personal knights.
Rinhou finished her game and stretched.
"Hey, shouldn't we decide who gets to take on how many next? They're just imposters anyway."
Fuuka and the others didn't think a real master would be here.
"I can't imagine Master training so many people. It's got to be another imposter this time, too."
We had traveled to many planets so far, but all we'd met were fakes.
We hadn't met any other Issen-ryuu practitioners besides ourselves.
The Issen-ryuu School takes at least three disciples.
Since our Master also had a master, it wouldn't be strange for there to be fellow disciples.
But strangely, we hadn't met any.
"I was hoping we might run into some fellow disciples."
If they were fellow disciples of the Issen-ryuu, it wouldn't be bad to interact with them.
Rinhou seemed to have become interested as well.
"I haven't met any fellow disciples other than you, senior disciple, and Ellen, either."
Fuuka had a hopeful look in her eyes.
"I'm curious. I wonder what the other Issen-ryuu practitioners are like? What do you think, senior disciple?"
The answer to that is obvious.
"Our Master was a man of integrity. Wouldn't our fellow disciples be noble as well? Maybe they've just secluded themselves in the mountains for training, and that's why we haven't found them."
Even now, our other fellow disciples are probably honing their skills.
The thought fills me with respect.
As we walked for a while, observing the town, Ellen noticed something.
"Master, this building is a little strange."
"Hm? You're right, the color is a little different."
Looking closely at the wall, the color was different. I thought it might be a pattern, but it looked like a diagonal line had been drawn on the building, and the color was subtly different from that point on.
Fuuka looked at the ground, while Rinhou surveyed the surroundings.
The listless townspeople looked at us with fear.
No, their gazes were fixed on our swords.
When I placed my hand on the wall to check, I got the impression that it had been repaired after being cut.
"No way."
We might finally get a clue at the very end.
Just as I was thinking that, a child jumped out.
He was holding a rock in his hand.
"Give me back my dad!"
As the child threw the rock at me, Ellen stepped forward and sliced it in two.
Seeing that strike, Fuuka applauded.
"Magnificent! Isn't it about time you could use the Flash, Ellen?"
Rinhou had her hand on her sword.
"That's all well and good, but... throwing a rock at my senior disciple? That's some poor discipline, isn't it?"
My hot-blooded junior disciples didn't draw their swords on a child, though.
As for me, I was looking around, watching the reactions of the townspeople.
"Did you see that?"
"Are they the magistrate's knights, too?"
"Don't get involved. You'll be killed."
Why did they see us and assume we were the magistrate's knights? And while Ellen is still inexperienced, that shouldn't have looked like a slash a normal person could perform.
They aren't surprised by Ellen, who unleashed an invisible slash?
I approached the child who threw the rock.
"Hey, why did you throw a rock at us?"
"B-Because you took my dad!"
I was annoyed by the child talking back to me with a trembling voice, but I had to admit he had guts.
Besides, he was a valuable clue.
Ellen was glaring at the child who had thrown the rock at me.
"Throwing a rock at Master is unforgivable."
"—Then shall I cut him down?"
When I asked, Ellen looked surprised and averted her gaze.
"N-No."
As I thought, this girl is too kind.
If I made her kill an innocent civilian, it would leave an unnecessary scar on her heart.
Besides, I've raised Ellen too carefully.
Ellen has become too strong, and pitting her against any random opponent won't serve as training.
Finding a worthy opponent for Ellen has become difficult.
I looked at Rinhou and Fuuka, urging them to gather information from the surroundings.
"It seems we have a lead. You two, go ask around. I have a few things to ask this kid."
Both of them looked like they wanted to say something, but they left without a word.
I shot the boy a sharp glare, but he was holding back tears, which made him difficult to handle.
"I don't know how to deal with little boys."
My child in my past life was a girl, and Ellen, who I'm looking after, is also a girl.
"As for the crime of throwing a rock at me, I'll let it slide if you tell me the whole story."
I took the boy with me, a bit forcefully, and decided to hear him out.
◇
When we went to the boy's house, it turned out to be a cramped apartment.
Even though this is a world where humanity has advanced into space, their lifestyle feels a bit older than in my past life.
It seems that people's lives are restricted on this planet.
"Yasuyuki! Why did you throw a rock at a knight?! I am so sorry, Sir Knight. Please, I beg you, spare my son's life!"
The mother who had just returned from her part-time job was named Nina.
Upon learning that her child, Yasuyuki, had thrown a rock at me, she apologized, her face pale.
Normally, this would be an offense punishable by beheading, but I suspected there was a clue on this planet, so I prioritized gathering information.
"I'll accept your apology. In return, you'll tell me your story."
"My story? If it's something I can talk about."
The mother looked quite haggard.
It seemed to be related to Yasuyuki's father being taken away.
"Your son saw me and told me to give his father back. What does that mean?"
The mother cast her eyes down before looking up at us.
She seemed to be trying to gauge our true intentions.
"Relax. We're just travelers. We only arrived here yesterday."
Realizing we had nothing to do with it, Yasuyuki looked down and muttered, "I'm sorry."
It seems he really had mistaken us for someone else.
Hearing our position, the mother began to speak, her words heavy.
"A few days ago, my husband was taken away by the magistrate's knights."
"By this planet's knights? Why was your husband targeted?"
"W-Well, that's..."
When the mother hesitated again, Yasuyuki stood up and loudly explained the situation to us.
"My dad was taken by the guys from the Original Issen-ryuu School!"
"Y-Yasuyuki!"
The mother tried to stop him, but Yasuyuki didn't.
Ellen spoke to me.
"Master, could it be that this Original Issen-ryuu School are our fellow disciples?"
"—It's a possibility."
I had examined the mark from the slash that cut that building, and there were certainly many points of interest.
Did a different branch of the Issen-ryuu exist on this planet?
Yasuyuki wiped his tears with his arm and pleaded for our help.
"My dad—he was taken by them. They said to my dad, 'How dare you deceive us all this time.'"
"Deceived them? Did your old man do something wrong?"
When I glanced at the mother, she showed a slight reaction.
I thought maybe he'd done something to the magistrate to have knights dispatched, but Yasuyuki denied it.
"My dad wouldn't do anything wrong! Sure, he has a lot of flaws, but he's a kind father to me!"
"But then why was he taken away?"
Just as I was wondering if there was a reason, some incredible information came from Yasuyuki.
"They looked at my dad and said something like, 'I never thought we'd find a Sword God in a place like this.'"
"A Sword God?!"
For a moment, my blood boiled at the thought of some man calling himself a Sword God, disrespecting my Master! But on second thought, something was off.
There was no trace of a swordsman in this room.
It was a truly ordinary house.
Could this be the home of a Sword God? As the question popped into my head, Yasuyuki spoke.
"They called my dad 'Yasujirou'. My dad's name is Yasushi, so I told them they had the wrong person. But when I said that, they got all happy and took him away."
Before I knew it, I was on my feet.
Ellen, who was next to me, also stood up and looked at me.
I said to Ellen.
"Ellen, call Rinhou and Fuuka."
"Y-Yes!"
◇
Meanwhile.
Rinhou and Fuuka had been asking around and learned that there were swordsmen on this planet claiming to be of the Issen-ryuu School.
Rinhou cast a sharp gaze at her surroundings.
"I never thought we'd meet fellow disciples at the very end."
Fuuka was walking while eating dango, seemingly relaxed.
"Yeah. Still, the Original Issen-ryuu, was it? I wonder what their relationship is to our branch?"
She seemed dying to know the connection between themselves, who inherited Yasushi's Issen-ryuu, and this school that called itself the original.
However, Rinhou smiled and stopped.
"We can just ask them ourselves."
When she turned around, a man with a sword at his hip was standing there.
He wore a rather flashy kimono and, perhaps confident in his skills, gave Rinhou and Fuuka a contemptuous look.
Behind the man were several others who looked like his entourage.
Those men looked like nothing more than thugs.
"So you're the ones who've been sniffing around about us? Well, if it isn't a couple of cute little ladies."
The men grinned lewdly.
The surrounding townspeople hurriedly scattered.
As silence fell upon the daytime street, Rinhou questioned the man.
"You, from the Original Issen-ryuu?"
"Indeed. I am one of the high disciples of the Original Issen-ryuu School."
A high disciple is a term for a superior student.
Fuuka stuffed the dango into her cheek, pulled out the skewer, and tossed it into a trash can.
"Found some fellow disciples. But, you know, having lackeys follow you around is pretty classless."
Is that how the Issen-ryuu should be? As she was thinking that, the high disciple crossed his arms.
"These men are my disciples. All of them are young men from noble or merchant families."
Hearing that, Fuuka closed her mouth.
Rinhou raised an eyebrow.
"—You're using the Issen-ryuu for money."
Hearing that he was teaching the Issen-ryuu to the rich, the two felt indignant.
The fellow disciples they had hoped to meet had abandoned the ideals of the Issen-ryuu and fallen from grace.
In that case—they would be the ones to put them out of their misery.
When Rinhou unleashed a Flash, the high disciple's face showed surprise.
But sparks flew in front of the man.
Rinhou's Flash had been blocked.
The high disciple's students were shocked.
"Was that technique a Flash?"
"A-Are they also disciples of the Original Issen-ryuu?"
"I've never seen them before."
As the disciples grew flustered, the high disciple barked at them.
"Don't panic! There is no way that I, a high disciple of the Original Issen-ryuu, could lose. You little girls, I'll make you regret drawing your swords on me."
The expression vanished from Rinhou's face.
"You talk too much. Even for the Issen-ryuu, you all seem to have fallen quite far."
Fuuka's eyes were bloodshot.
"—I'll kill you."
In that instant, countless sparks flew between the three of them.
But being a two-on-one fight, the high disciple was at a disadvantage.
"Kuh?! You're stronger than me?!"
The high disciple was gradually being cornered.
But both Rinhou and Fuuka quickly put distance between themselves and the high disciple.
They leaped back in an instant, as a succession of slashes flew at them, carving up the ground and buildings.
Fuuka looked up at the roof of a building.
"Are all these guys from the Issen-ryuu?"
On the roof of the building were knights in kimonos.
All of them carried swords.
They looked down on Rinhou and Fuuka, poised to unleash a Flash.
One of them called out.
"Never thought I'd see other Issen-ryuu practitioners in a backwater like this. More importantly, are you going to keep this up?"
Rinhou grew angry at the condescending man. His attitude showed he was confident they would win if the fight continued.
"You looking down on us? I'll take all of you on—"
Fuuka stopped her.
"That's enough."
Rinhou directed a murderous intent at the Fuuka who stopped her, as if about to strike her down.
"Huh? Are you telling me to turn tail and run? There's no way an Issen-ryuu practitioner can show their back, right? I'll kill you too."
She showed her resolve to kill even the one she grew up with as a sister if she were to tarnish the name of the Issen-ryuu.
But Fuuka didn't back down either.
"Senior disciple ordered us to return immediately. I told him the situation, but he still said to come back."
Ordered by Liam to return, Rinhou, though still seething, decided to withdraw for now.
"—I'll kill every last one of you. I swear it."
As the two vanished from the spot in an instant, the high disciple and his men gave chase.
"Don't let them escape! Kill them, no matter what!"
Brian (´;ω;`): "It's painful. Lord Liam is so engrossed in his journey of reformation that he's neglecting his own domain... It's painful. Honestly, I wish he would just stay quietly in his territory and play the part of an evil lord."
Brian (`・ω・´): "Nevertheless, this week marks the release of 'I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! Volume 2'. Please look forward to Lord Liam's exploits, now with more content than the web version!"