The Oxis Allied Kingdom makes its move.
Upon receiving this news, the capital planet was in an uproar.
While skirmishes continue at the border, a full-scale invasion is on a completely different level.
This isn't tens of thousands of ships, but millions of ships clashing in fleets.
And this time, the Allied Kingdom has gotten serious.
"Three million ships?"
"Y-Yes! The Allied Kingdom is forming a large-scale fleet, centered around the countries and nobles who participated in the civil war. Lord Liam, this is a grave matter!"
A serious clash between interstellar nations could, if things go wrong, last for hundreds of years.
I was elegantly sipping coffee in my hotel room.
"Is that so."
"I-Is that so?! Lord Liam, are you thinking this through properly?"
The one who brought this news to me was Thomas, the man who had me join hands with the corrupt nobles in the Allied Kingdom.
The corrupt nobles got to work right away.
They were the first to bring me the information.
"It has nothing to do with me. That's the military's job. And right now, I'm a civil servant."
Thomas had burst in while I was enjoying a moment of elegance before heading to work.
"W-Well, that may be true, but the military alone can't handle this. They're bound to request the participation of the Imperial nobles."
"Then I'll decline. I'm currently in the middle of my training. As a soldier, I'm on the reserve list anyway."
An enemy force of three million is coming—this is certainly a major event, but the Empire is also a massive interstellar nation.
If it wanted to, it could prepare double the forces.
But when you have a comfortable margin, allies inevitably end up tripping over each other.
Like me, for instance, just watching from the sidelines without participating.
A proper evil lord doesn't take risks.
We might win the war itself, but there are three million enemies out there.
The Empire will suffer casualties too.
And who's to say I won't be among those casualties?
"This time, I'll get by with just providing funds and supplies."
"That... might be the correct course of action."
Thomas regained his composure.
Did he really think I would participate in the war?
As I was drinking my coffee, a call came in from my useful subordinate, Klaus.
"Lord Liam, please excuse the intrusion, but this is an emergency."
Klaus, who had contacted me without an appointment, looked quite flustered.
"What is it?"
If this had been a call from my useless subordinates—Tia or Marie—I would have hung up immediately.
But even when I treat them coldly, they just get excited, which somehow makes me feel like I've lost.
"It's a request from the palace. You are to participate in the war against the Allied Kingdom."
"I decline. I'm busy."
"—However, His Highness Cleo has been appointed as the commander-in-chief for this campaign."
"What did you say?!"
◇
In the Allied Kingdom, there is a noble with connections to Liam.
Count Norden.
He was a man who received aid from Liam through Thomas.
This man, who holds a single planet as his domain, serves a king who had previously sided with the rebel army.
As a result, he is being forced to participate in the war as a form of atonement.
He's a man who has profited handsomely from his connection to the Empire's Liam.
He has no intention of acting for the sake of the Allied Kingdom.
And—he has no intention of acting for Liam's sake either.
Everything he does is for himself.
"So, you're saying I should help drag Liam onto the battlefield?"
The merchant from the Empire nodded with a smile.
"There are nobles within the Empire causing a stir. They will be your country's opponents."
"Wanting the Allied Kingdom to dispose of a rival faction... the Empire's nobles are a frightening bunch."
"In return, we will ensure that information on the fleet led by His Highness Cleo is constantly delivered to you."
Count Norden smiled.
In that situation, he could even earn some merits.
Above all, the enemy fleet is being set up to lose by its own country.
They will face various forms of harassment not only from the enemy, but from their allies as well.
"However... I am also indebted to Lord Liam. Betraying him will not be easy, you know."
The Imperial merchant smiled at Count Norden, who was trying to extort a higher price.
"Of course. Upon your success, we shall prepare any reward you desire. This is the down payment."
The provided documents listed an enormous sum of money and a massive amount of resources.
Inwardly, Count Norden couldn't stop laughing.
(Count Banfield, it seems you've made too many enemies within the Empire. Do your best to lay down your life for my sake.)
◇
The rear palace.
In the building where Cleo lived, there had been a huge commotion since morning.
"He's to lead a fleet of millions?! Cleo hasn't been educated as a military man!"
Unable to hide her indignation was Cleo's older sister, Lysithea.
She, a member of the royal family who aspired to be a knight, was now guarding her younger sister who had become her pitiful younger brother.
Cleo, watching his frantic sister, was calm.
"Sister, please calm down. I've learned the basics in an education capsule."
"Cleo, education capsules are certainly excellent, but that's just knowledge being installed. It's meaningless if you can't apply it. If capsules were enough, there would be no need for education!"
"—In any case, it won't be me, but Count Banfield who will lead the fleet."
"You don't understand anything. The number of ships Count Banfield can lead is, at most, a hundred thousand. If it doubles, you'll need excellent commanders. The Banfield house alone is not enough."
Liam was brilliant, but this was not a problem that could be solved by a single individual.
Lysithea held her head in her hands.
"The Count has far too little experience. An admiral who leads millions needs not only talent but also experience. And they need tens of thousands of subordinates to act as their hands and feet."
Those tens of thousands—or hundreds of thousands—refers to properly educated officers.
Mere soldiers won't do.
A single count could never prepare such a force.
"If we had known this a few years ago, there would have been ways to handle it. But there's no time. War isn't so simple that you can win with a disjointed army."
Watching his sister, Cleo thought that this was probably the end for him.
(Count, it seems this is as far as we go.)
For such a major role, it wouldn't be strange for the Emperor or the Crown Prince to step forward.
If successful, it wouldn't be surprising if the line of succession shifted.
Normally, Calvin should have been the one to step up—but it was Calvin who had recommended Cleo.
Clearly, they wanted him to fail.
Lysithea's eyes were filled with tears.
"This is the worst. In this time of Imperial crisis, if Cleo declines the position of commander-in-chief, he'll be abandoned by the nobles. But even if he becomes commander-in-chief, there's no chance of victory."
Even if they won—Cleo's exhausted faction wouldn't be able to fight against Calvin's faction.
"Brother Calvin is quite troublesome, isn't he."
Lysithea agreed with Cleo's sentiment.
"He's held onto the position of Crown Prince for many years for a reason. He's not just for show, I suppose."
It seems within reach, yet it's unattainable.
The Emperor's throne felt very distant to Cleo.
◇
One of the government offices on the Imperial capital planet.
A place that would be like a town hall in modern Japan. This is where I've been working since graduating from the academy.
Why?
Because I was kicked off the fast track to success.
I was supposed to be working elegantly at the palace, but I got transferred to the provinces.
That said, I commute that long distance by car every day.
Why?
Because the car's performance is incredible.
To put it simply, it has the functionality of a small jet.
With this, I can feel at ease even if I'm sent to the provinces.
And my boss—he's another one of those guys who makes you want to puke.
"Liam-kun~, you go to all the trouble of commuting from the capital to a backwater like this, don't you? You're a rich kid, so why not rent a room nearby?"
Was he the thirtieth son of a great noble?
In any case, he's a piece of shit with nothing but pride, who fools around instead of working.
He always comes to my desk and dumps extra work on me.
"Oh, and also, get these documents sorted by the end of today. By tomorrow, okay?"
A massive number of files—electronic documents—were displayed before me.
A quick glance at the clock showed there were only thirty minutes left until quitting time—an impossible deadline.
It was blatant bullying.
I swatted the documents away, grabbed the man's head, and slammed it onto the desk.
"Who do you think you're ordering around, you piece of shit?"
"Y-You bastard, to your own superior!"
"Having an incompetent fool above me is truly unbearable."
As I said that, I increased the pressure on my boss's head.
I heard a cracking sound that shouldn't have been there—but I didn't care.
Also, I'm actually a proponent of incompetent bosses.
I myself am an evil lord, the very epitome of an incompetent boss.
However, I will not tolerate an incompetent person above me.
Villains are selfish.
"What do you mean, assigning work at this hour? Your job is management. Assigning tasks is part of that job. If you assign work at a time like this, can it even be finished on time?"
"H-hegyo."
It seems he can't speak anymore.
"This is your mistake. You deal with it."
When I let him go, the man was trembling.
"Y-You bastard! You think you can get away with—"
I don't.
I have no intention of letting this go.
When I grabbed the incompetent boss's head and squeezed, it made a creaking sound.
The people around us were trembling as they watched.
"—You do it. Do it alone. It's your mistake. Isn't it?"
"Y-Yesh."
I smiled at the incompetent boss who had replied.
"You said to finish it by tomorrow, right? You said that because you can do it, didn't you?"
It was an amount that was obviously impossible for one person to finish.
The incompetent boss was shaking.
"I-It's impossible."
"You can do it, right?!"
I kicked him, and he rolled away, trembling.
"—You have until tomorrow. Since you said it to me, you can do it, right?"
When I got close and peered into the incompetent boss's face, it was drained of all color.
So I gave him a gentle smile.
"Finish it by yourself by tomorrow. —If you can't, you know what will happen, right?"
"Y-Yes."
Just then, the end-of-work chime rang, and I decided to pack up and go home.
Overtime? That's not something an evil lord does.
Someone else can do it.
I absolutely will not.
"Well then, good work. —You, finish that by tomorrow."
My attitude towards my incompetent boss was the very definition of disrespectful, but I'm a count, after all.
In the Empire, anything is permissible.
Why? Because I'm a real noble.
When I say 'real,' I don't mean in spirit or anything like that, just in social status.
Noblesse oblige—the obligations of the nobility are nothing but a fantasy.
More importantly, this incompetent boss is stressing me out.
Maybe I should just start working on improving the workplace?
◇
The next day, I was summoned by my incompetent boss's superior.
The man, a relative of my incompetent boss and connected to a great noble, spoke to me in a condescending manner.
"I hear you ran quite wild in the military, but this is a government office. I'd appreciate it if you'd refrain from such barbaric, soldier-like behavior."
The incompetent boss—the incompetent bastard—trembling behind his superior, looked at me with a slightly triumphant expression.
Me? I was sitting on the sofa, looking at some documents.
"—Do you think everyone will bow down to you? My family belongs to His Highness Calvin's faction. I'm not afraid of the likes of you!"
Nobles, myself included, are an incorrigible bunch.
If you live a life where being fawned over because of your status is the norm, even a good person will rot and turn evil.
There are plenty of smart ones, and it's not all incompetents like these guys.
But there are also many incompetents.
While looking at the documents, I spoke to the superior.
"So? Are you satisfied now?"
"How bold. I know all about it. You'll be sent to the battlefield soon enough. You'll regret angering His Highness Calvin!"
—If I were to feel any sympathy for Calvin, it would be for the fact that his faction is so large he has to look after incompetents like this.
So, I decided to lessen his burden.
"I was just getting irritated about that myself. But that aside—take a look at these documents. I have all the evidence of your corruption right here."
When the collected electronic documents were displayed throughout the room, both the superior and the incompetent were surprised, but they quickly broke into smiles.
"What of it? At this point, this level of corruption is—"
"'Everyone's doing it,' right? I don't care about that. I have the material to kick you out right here, and I'm going to use it to blow off some steam. The work environment here was terrible. I'm going to clean you all out and make this a workplace to my liking."
I snapped my fingers, and armed soldiers began pouring into the room.
"Don't move! Hands behind your head, get on the floor!"
"W-Who the hell are you!"
The superior and the incompetent were kicked by the soldiers and then restrained.
The captain leading the soldiers saluted me.
"We thank you for the report."
"You work fast."
I was the one who investigated their corruption and reported it.
Ever since the old days when I was working hard with Amagi, I've been good at finding this kind of corruption.
Of course, I'm also good at cleaning up the aftermath.
"—A message from the Prime Minister. He says, 'Your swift work is a great help.'"
I praised them, and in return, I got praised myself.
I found that funny and laughed.
"What, so you guys were under orders from the Prime Minister?"
"Sir!"
"I'm indebted to the Prime Minister. I should probably thank him."
I'll have a bribe—no, a gift—delivered to these efficient soldiers later.
I'm a man who never forgets to show consideration for those who are useful to me.
Even so—my luck has been strangely bad lately.
I get transferred to the provinces, my boss is incompetent, the workplace is riddled with corruption—and to top it all off, I'm being dragged into a troublesome war.
Troublesome matters keep piling up one after another.
What's more, I'm getting caught up in a war between interstellar nations.
Honestly, this is more than I can handle.
What in the world is going on?
Brian ( ´・ω・`): "—Lord Liam, this Brian humbly opines that this is not the work of an evil lord, but simply workplace improvement."
Monica ( ゜∀゜): "A promotional post! Now we can advertise! Volume 9 of The Seventh is on sale January 31st! Pre-orders are enthusiastically being accepted! By the way, the e-book will be released at the same time!"
Mosaic ( ゜∀゜): "Speaking of promotions, we have the angel of the afterword, Naegi-chan! Volume 5 of Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs is on sale January 30th! The e-book version will be released at the same time!"
Brian (´;ω;`): "Unlike Lady Amagi, these high-tension androids have hijacked this space. —It's painful. Also, what is a 'Mosaic'?!"