October—you're already ending? (;゜ロ゜)

[Book Version] I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! The latest, Volume 4, is now on sale!!

Although the Banfield family had defeated the Hegemony Kingdom's army of 350,000 ships, their own losses were immense.

They had deployed 700,000 ships, and now less than 500,000 remained.

"We may have won, but are we really going to fight an enemy several times our size in this state?"

Klaus looked out at his allies from the bridge.

A fleet of 500,000 ships was preparing to fight the Hegemony Kingdom's army, led by Aluna.

Everywhere he looked, battleships were lined up, their fleet formation so flawless it could only be described as magnificent.

Watching this scene from the flagship, Klaus was suffering from a stomachache.

(It hurts. My stomach hurts. What am I supposed to do about this?)

The thought of dealing with Aluna's fleet, which could attack from anywhere at any time, filled him with unbearable anxiety.

Klaus understood that, as a commander, he was merely average.

He didn't think he could possibly surpass Aluna, who reveled in battle and gleefully led fleets of millions.

The enemy's numbers were, at a low estimate, in the millions of ships.

The pressure on Klaus, having to face such a massive army with only 500,000 ships, was immense.

He wanted to run away from this overwhelming responsibility, but his overly strong sense of duty held him back.

Klaus checked with his staff officers.

"Have you picked up any enemy movements yet?"

Scout ships had been dispatched to the surrounding space to search for the enemy fleet's movements.

The staff officers also seemed tense, their expressions lacking any composure.

"We wouldn't be surprised to make contact, but we haven't detected anything yet."

"I see."

While enduring his stomachache, Klaus desperately tried to maintain a poker face so as not to alarm those around him.

If the commander showed agitation, that anxiety would quickly spread.

As he maintained his expressionless facade, the staff officers began to praise him.

"Your Excellency Klaus, you are so calm. It's as if you feel no tension at all."
"Of course. His Excellency is the man who once charged hundreds of thousands of Hegemony Kingdom troops with a fleet of only tens of thousands."
"I suppose it's only natural he wouldn't be fazed by something of this scale."

Decades ago.

Klaus had been pressured by Liam into charging the Hegemony Kingdom's army.

For some reason, Klaus was now credited as the one who came up with the plan.

This was Liam's fault. It was because he was afraid of being scolded by Amagi for being too reckless, so he had impulsively pushed the credit onto Klaus.

Liam was found out and scolded by Amagi almost immediately, but the credit for the achievement was left with Klaus.

From Liam's perspective, an achievement of this level was apparently within the margin of error for Klaus.

But for Klaus, it was unbearable.

"That was all thanks to Lord Liam's efforts. I did nothing."

He was just stating the facts, but those around him got excited by it.

"Your Excellency is so humble. I wish Lady Tia and Lady Marie would learn from your example."

"No, that's not—"

Just as he was about to clear up the misunderstanding, an operator's voice rang out.

"Urgent message from a scout ship! An enemy fleet of 300,000 has been confirmed! We're also receiving reports from other scout ships confirming fleets in the hundreds of thousands!"

The panicked, shout-like report made the faces of Klaus and his men change.

"Three hundred thousand, huh."

(They're scattered? That's helpful for us, but what's their objective?)

Klaus wasn't incompetent; he had proceeded with the installation of defensive facilities.

He had prepared an environment where they could fight. But he didn't think that alone would be enough to defeat the Hegemony Kingdom's army.

"Hurry and report to Lord Liam."

A messenger vessel departed from the Second Army, heading for Liam.

◇

On the bridge of the flagship, Argos.

Sitting in a luxurious chair and watching the battle unfold, I furrowed my brow at the reports coming in one after another.

"The Hegemony Kingdom is scattered?"

Standing by my side was Yulicia, clad in a military uniform.

I had originally given her a role like a secretary, but since she's needlessly competent, I have her working as my adjutant as well.

"Are they planning to corner us?"

A holographic image appeared before my eyes.

It was a simplified summary of the current situation, showing the enemy forces moving to surround the assembled Banfield family fleet.

Their movements, as if to hunt us down, felt less like war and more like a hunt.

They were moving to prevent our escape and drive us into a corner.

"I don't like this. Are they getting impatient for glory, right in front of me?"

As I voiced my displeasure, Yulicia answered calmly.

"Well, our forces are actually at a disadvantage. From the enemy's perspective, we must look like prey."

"—You could try to be a little more considerate of my feelings."

"Even when I act friendly, you just ignore it all, don't you?"

Yulicia averted her gaze from me, feigning a pout.

"If you weren't competent, I would have had you demoted."

"Are you sure about that? I'm still the liaison with the Imperial Army, you know. And don't forget I'm also the pipeline to the Third Weapons Factory."

She's a disappointing and unremarkable woman, but this is why I can't easily demote her.

Besides, getting a new adjutant would be a whole other set of problems.

I suppose I'll just have to put up with Yulicia.

"You're a brazen one."

"You have to be, to serve as Lord Liam's adjutant."

Ending my conversation with Yulicia, I extended my right arm and projected a screen into the air.

A clock was displayed on the monitor.

—It seems this is as far as we go.

"Time's up, huh. As expected, we can't reach the Hegemony Kingdom's capital planet."

As I let out a small sigh, Yulicia, standing next to me, turned her face toward me.

Apparently, she hadn't heard my murmur.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing. We've just been pushing ourselves a little too hard. Let's send the wounded back to the rear to rest."

"A wonderful suggestion. The only problem is that the ones blocking our rear are several million enemy troops."

If we don't break through this situation, we will literally be annihilated.

"We'll just have to smash through. Call Klaus. We'll chew up a moderately-sized enemy fleet and return to the rear."

"—Are you serious? We'd have a better chance of retreating if we slipped through a gap in the enemy's formation."

"I'm always serious. I've grown tired of rampaging through the Hegemony Kingdom anyway. Let's fall back and regroup."

I stood up from my seat and stretched, and the military personnel standing by around me reacted slightly to my movement.

"Have Rinho and Fuuka prepare. They'll lead the charge."

When I called out the names of my cute junior disciples, Yulicia showed a slightly exasperated expression.

"You certainly dote on those two, Lord Liam. You're sending them into a deathtrap, yet you don't seem worried in the slightest."

Yulicia's use of "dote on" was likely sarcasm.

After all, under normal circumstances, this would be like throwing my junior disciples to their deaths.

"That's because I believe in the Issen-ryu style."

"I can't believe you're serious. I've given up on trying to understand the Issen-ryu style."

Yulicia operated her terminal, ordering preparations for Rinho and Fuuka's sortie.

In addition to preparing the Mobile Knight Amaryllis for launch, she handled various other arrangements.

She's a disappointing woman, but she gets the job done.

As an evil lord, I have no need for a soldier like Yulicia.

If I had my preference, I'd want someone who's a smooth talker and always keeps me in a good mood.

However, considering the future, a subordinate who's all talk would be a huge problem.

That kind of person would have no problem reporting lies.

Even if not outright lies, they would often hide inconvenient information.

A subordinate who tells lies to avoid conveying unpleasant information to their superior is a detriment to the organization.

In that respect, Yulicia has no problem giving me reports I don't want to hear.

To fight the Empire, I need subordinates like her.

—Though her personality is a letdown.

"It'll be good training for the two of them."

Yulicia asked me a question.

"So, which fleet will you be breaking through? I've determined that a fleet of 300,000 is a suitable target."

There were other fleets with fewer than 100,000 ships, but she likely chose the 300,000-strong fleet, suspecting the smaller ones were obvious traps.

If I were in Yulicia's position, I would have said the same thing.

However, I am the lord—the supreme commander.

"There's a more entertaining opponent, isn't there? The ones who are luring us in."

"Luring us in? The smaller fleets are thought to be traps, though?"

"No. It's them."

I pointed at the holographic image.

The ones who had prepared a fleet of 600,000, a number close to our own, specifically to lure us in.

"—The enemy's main flagship is in that fleet. That information was obtained by our allies at great risk, so there's no mistake."

According to information from our scout ships, they had confirmed the enemy's main flagship.

I was gradually beginning to understand what the people of the Hegemony Kingdom were thinking.

"They just let us see it. They went to the trouble of inviting us. Wouldn't it be rude to ignore them?"

Yulicia's expression turned grim.

"You intend to walk into a trap?"

"Rather, it's all traps. This is the Hegemony Kingdom's backyard. They know this space better than we do. If it's going to be troublesome no matter where we strike, then I'll aim for the head of the commander-in-chief."

The Hegemony Kingdom's fleets surrounding the Banfield family's fleet apparently have no intention of letting us escape.

They intend to destroy us down to the last man.

"Now then, what shall I do?"

◇

Inside the Argos's hangar.

Approaching the two Amaryllis units stationed near Avid were Rinho and Fuuka, dressed in pilot suits.

Both of them were carrying their own swords.

"Our senior disciple really works us hard, doesn't he?"

Fuuka complained, but her expression was one of amusement.

Rinho wore a faint smile.

"I don't get what's so fun about pitting small fry against each other. More importantly, did you hear? That Aluna, the crown prince of the Hegemony Kingdom, is after our senior disciple's genes."

Told that someone was after Liam's genes, Fuuka tilted her head.

It wasn't that she was ignorant of romantic matters, but she apparently couldn't understand Aluna's feelings.

"All he has to do is sleep with her once. Or just give her his genes, and the story's over."

Listening to Fuuka's unromantic take, Rinho shook her head.

"Id~iot. It's not that simple."

"What did you say!?"

Ignoring Fuuka, who was blushing with anger at being called an idiot, Rinho flew towards the Amaryllis Unit 01—Ein.

As she boarded the white machine, identical in appearance to Avid, Ein's twin eyes lit up.

Fuuka clicked her tongue and headed for Zwei.

Once the two units' launch preparations were complete, guidance lights appeared.

Markers floating in the air indicated the launch positions for the two machines.

The surrounding maintenance crew either saluted or waved at the two moving figures.

Watching the scene from her cockpit, Fuuka paid them no mind.

Seated in her chair, Fuuka tied her unruly orange hair back with a ribbon.

The launch preparations were almost entirely automated, so there was no need for her to pilot.

"I've been slacking off and playing around lately, and our senior disciple just scolded me for it. If I don't do something to get back in his good graces, I won't be able to visit Master's house anymore."

Fuuka was also concerned about the fact that she had been neglecting her training to hang around Yasushi's house.

But Yasushi's house was the only place where she could experience the atmosphere of a family.

The same was true for Rinho; since they could remember, the two of them had been scrounging through trash cans in back alleys.

The one who extended a hand to them was Yasushi.

Though they live as swordswomen of the Issen-ryu style, Yasushi's home is a precious place that gives them something they never had.

Yasushi is their father.

Nina is their mother.

Yasuyuki is their precious little brother—and Liam is probably their scary older brother.

They aren't related by blood, but Fuuka considers them a family bound by something thicker than blood: the Issen-ryu style.

Putting on her helmet and gripping the control stick, Fuuka took a deep breath.

Zwei—Amaryllis Unit 02—was in launch position on the catapult.

"For the sake of our senior disciple who's taken care of us, I suppose we'll pay him back a little."