A planet near the border with the Gudwar Hegemony.

Though I say 'near,' it's only near on the scale of an interstellar nation.

In reality, it's very far.

However, it's in a location that can be easily reached using warp technology.

Because of that, and with the front line having retreated, the planet I've been dispatched to is now considered a key strategic point.

It was just one of the planets behind the front lines until now, but its importance has grown.

In other words, it showed that the Imperial Army was being pushed back.

The bridge of a warship.

The floor was a monitor, and below me, the planet we were about to turn into a key base spread out.

Looking down from a high place feels truly wonderful.

"To think they'd dispatch me to construct a key base. The Empire's lack of personnel must be serious."

The one yelling at me as I grinned was Wallace, whom I had forcibly brought along with me when I was transferred.

I brought him along because he was about to finish his training on the capital planet without doing any real work.

From his perspective, it was like being demoted from a safe job on the capital planet to a post near the front lines.

In corporate terms, it's like being transferred from the head office to a remote branch.

What's more, this branch doesn't even have a place to work yet.

"Liam, you idiot! You should have refused a job like this! You have the power to do that, don't you!?"

"I certainly do. In fact, I could have crushed this assignment anytime I wanted."

"Then why!"

"I simply chose not to. Don't be so angry. I was getting bored on the capital planet anyway. It's not so bad watching Calvin's exploits from over here."

The planet we're looking down on had its previous ruling noble family crushed, leaving it without a lord.

The Empire had considered dispatching a magistrate to govern it, but—to be honest, there's little benefit for the Empire in developing such a remote planet.

Even without developing a distant planet, there are still many undeveloped planets in the Empire's direct territories.

Gaining a single exhausted planet is nothing to be happy about.

This time, I've been dispatched as the person in charge on the civilian side to develop this planet into one worthy of supporting the front lines.

The Imperial Army dispatched three thousand ships from its forces.

And a transport fleet to carry the development materials.

The one leading the fleet was a Major General.

I'm a civilian official now, but if I returned to the military, I'd be a Lieutenant General—no, was it an Admiral? Anyway, as someone who will become a Duke in the future, I'm a big shot in the military too.

A mere Major General is in no position to complain, so I was effectively the one in charge.

As Wallace was complaining, a communication came in from that Major General.

A holographic image of the Major General, projected in the air, gave a salute.

He looks to be in his mid-twenties, but I wonder how old he really is? In an interstellar nation, you can't judge age by appearance, which is a pain.

"Acting Magistrate, the transport fleet has arrived safely."

"I see. Have them stand by until they receive further instructions."

"R-Roger that."

When the communication ended, Wallace looked at the Major General with an expression of sympathy.

He looked like he wanted to say something to me, so I asked him.

"What is it?"

"I just heard that in situations like this, the military personnel are usually the ones acting high and mighty. Seeing him act so deferential towards you, Liam, just made me feel conflicted."

From a soldier's perspective, even if I am a noble, I'm just a damn brat who hasn't even finished his training.

He probably felt sorry for the Major General, who should have been the one in command, having to be subservient to a kid like me.

However, there's a trick to this.

I regularly give bribes—gifts of greeting—to the military and purchase surplus weapons from them. I'm a valued customer to the Imperial Army.

They wouldn't want to anger someone like me, and more importantly, there's no way I'd come to the vicinity of the front lines unarmed.

Against the Imperial Army's three thousand ships, I brought thirty thousand ships from my private army.

No matter how tough the Major General tries to act, with a numerical difference this large, he has no choice but to stay quiet.

The key is to make them think, 'If I complain, I'll be crushed!'

And this time, I've also brought Avid along.

—I was quite serious.

"More importantly, let's talk about the situation on this planet."

When I cut Wallace off, he looked dissatisfied, as if to say, "Huh, you're just going to brush it off that easily?" But the military man isn't the problem here.

The planet spreading out below us—it's a truly terrible planet.

Perhaps the previous lord was incompetent; it was a desolate planet.

If he had been a villain who exploited his people, I could at least understand, but a territory so exhausted it's on the verge of collapse is just no good.

Even when exploiting people, the basic principle is to keep them on the brink of survival.

The previous lord, who couldn't even manage that, is worthless to me.

A villain must be strong.

Anything else is just trash.

"What a terrible planet. It looks like it'll be a lot of work."

As I looked down and grinned, Wallace recoiled. He must be wondering what I'm so happy about after being sent to the frontier.

But I've brought my own fleet with me.

Within that fleet, there's even a massive mobile fortress known as a fortress-class.

Whether it's the countryside or anywhere else, I can live a life of luxury.

Wallace's shoulders slumped as he looked at the data for the planet we'd been dispatched to.

"Are we really going to make this our base? The population isn't even a hundred million, and the people are exhausted."

According to the previous lord's policy, he believed that nobles were gods.

Because of that, the people's standard of living was at what you'd call a medieval level in my past life.

He apparently enjoyed seeing his people suffer, which is why the territory has become so distorted.

Anyone would hate being told to develop a place like that.

In fact, no one had touched it until we were dispatched.

If it were just any territory, it wouldn't be a problem, but we have to turn it into a planet that can support the front lines.

The responsibility is immense.

"No problem. I have a plan for victory. I'll finish the necessary work before the other person arrives."

Hearing "the other person," Wallace tilted his head.

"Is someone else being dispatched besides us?"

"—Yeah, he'll be here soon."

◇

Liam was sent to a frontier planet.

Having departed in a hurry during his training, Rosetta, who remained on the capital planet, was also suspicious.

However, that didn't mean Rosetta could make a fuss.

Liam had accepted the transfer and headed to the frontier planet with glee.

Thanks to that, the Cleo Faction had lost Liam, who was the one holding the faction together.

Those who had been quiet due to Calvin's absence now saw this as an opportunity.

Rosetta's senior colleague was no different.

As Rosetta was working, her senior colleague came and perched ostentatiously on her desk.

"I heard. It seems your fiancé was sent off to the frontier. I wonder what kind of mistake he made?"

Being sent to the frontier is like a punishment game for the officials working on the capital planet.

Unless they were dispatched in a respectable position with a guarantee of returning to the capital, no noble would accept it.

Being sent to the frontier is the same as a demotion.

"I've heard it's an important mission to support His Highness Calvin. Are you perhaps suggesting that's a demotion?"

When she pointed out that he was cleaning up their leader's mess, her senior's face turned redder and redder.

"Is that all you have to say? Do you understand that without your fiancé, you're not scary at all?"

The reason she was showing such a blatant attitude was because she was terrified of Liam.

Few nobles would pick a fight with Liam, who had demonstrated his power on the capital planet. That I can't say 'none' is also the current state of this country.

There were knights who would gleefully challenge him to a duel, and there were nobles who didn't know of Liam.

Because the Empire is so vast, there are many who are unaware of the situation on the capital planet.

Just as the senior got off the desk and was about to make Rosetta stand, a voice called out.

It was a female knight on security duty on the floor.

"Ms. Rosetta, you have a visitor."

"For me?"

Rosetta ignored her senior and stepped out of the office, where Marion was waiting.

He raised his right hand and gave her a friendly smile.

Rosetta, now in the hallway, led Marion into one of the rooms.

There, they sat facing each other.

"You're my darling's colleague, aren't you? Is there something I can help you with?"

Marion wore a fearless smile.

He stood up from the sofa and approached Rosetta.

Rosetta was caught off guard by his sudden approach, but after a moment of hesitation—she decided not to resist.

Marion lifted Rosetta's chin with his fingers.

"I'll be leaving the capital planet soon to follow after Senior Liam. Still, to think he'd leave behind such a beautiful fiancée. If it were me, I would never make you sad."

Rosetta showed her confusion at Marion's advances.

"My darling has his own way of thinking. More importantly, if you have no other business, I'll be returning to my work. I'm busy, you see."

Marion let out a small sigh and distanced himself from Rosetta.

"That's a shame. —Now then, about my business. Since I'm going after Senior Liam, I thought I'd ask if you had any message for him."

In other words, he didn't have any real business.

If she had a message for Liam, she could just use a communicator to talk to him without any issue.

"Why don't you tell me the real reason?"

"You're more dense than I thought. I came to woo you."

Seeing Marion's provocative smile, Rosetta made an indescribable expression.

"I'd appreciate it if you'd stop joking."

"I don't mind that for now. By the way, at this rate, Senior Liam might lose his life."

"—What do you mean by that?"

Marion played with his bangs with his fingertips, feigning ignorance.

"It's a secret. If you were to accept my invitation, I wouldn't mind telling you."

There was no way she could do that.

Feeling displeased, Rosetta left Marion in the room and walked out.

Watching her go, Marion shrugged.

Out in the hallway, Rosetta stopped with her back to the wall, facing a shadowy corner of the passage.

Appearing from Rosetta's shadow was one of Kukuri's subordinates, wearing a mask.

Rosetta gave an order.

"Can you investigate that boy?"

Kukuri's subordinate refused, saying it couldn't be done.

"We have received orders from Lord Liam to leave him be."

"Leave him be, you say?"

"Yes. If not for Lord Liam's orders, we would have apprehended him the moment he approached you, Lady Rosetta."

Kukuri's subordinate was a woman.

A different person from Kunai.

"If he displeases you, shall I give him a warning?"

"No, that's fine. I don't want to get in my darling's way."

"Understood."

Kukuri's subordinate disappeared into the shadows.

◇

In the room Rosetta had left, Marion was talking to someone.

"—Yes, I failed. She's a tough one. It's not like you were serious about it, were you? Besides, the real target is someone else."

The other person's voice couldn't be heard.

The small, window-like screen floating in the air was also dark.

Marion was muttering to himself.

"I'll keep an eye on Liam as planned. It's worked out so far, hasn't it? You don't need to worry about a thing. —Yes."

Marion had made a pass at Rosetta, but he hadn't expected to succeed.

When the communication ended, he loosened the collar of his shirt.

"I don't really mind either way, but it's been a while since I was rejected that thoroughly."

He was a little frustrated that Rosetta hadn't given him a second glance.

Marion had androgynous features and a look that could be mistaken for an idol's.

He was confident in his looks and had successfully wooed every woman he had ever targeted.

"This is a little frustrating. —I guess I'll have to take this grudge out on Senior Liam."

The corners of Marion's mouth turned up in a smile as he composed his expression and left the room.

Brian (´；ω；｀): "I can't stop crying tears of joy for the popular 'I'm the Evil Lord of an Interstellar Nation! 01' getting a reprint. This Brian is also delighted. Huh? Lord Marion? Ah, as for him—"

Wakagi-chan ( ゜∀゜): "I'm the idol of the afterword! Please also check out 'Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs 6'! It's coming out soon!"

Brian (´；ω；｀): "How long is this plant going to stick around? It's painful."