I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!

“How many does this make now?”

We’ve landed on yet another planet that’s in terrible condition, and I’m walking alongside Rinho, Fuuka, and Ellen while dressed in a kimono like a ronin [2].

The city we’re in feels lifeless, which speaks volumes to the governor’s management skills.

“Are they all stupid? They seem to know nothing other than how to squeeze their citizens dry.”

At first, I was like ‘Excellent work’, but after seeing it so many times I’m starting to get tired of it.

Only knowing how to exploit others is a sign of someone that’s below second-rate.

Fuuka turns to face me after observing the citizens’ expressions.

“As I thought, Senior Brother is amazing.”

“Huh?”

“The citizens living in Senior Brother’s territory look different, they’re livelier. We’ve visited other planets, but the people there all have dead eyes.”

Their eyes are dead because they understand that they’re being exploited.

This is why second-rates are no good.

“My citizens, on the other hand, are too dumb to realize that they’re being exploited.”

Their stupidity somewhat terrifies me, but I can say for certain that I’m doing better than this planet’s governor.

Rinho is on her terminal, playing a game as we walk.

“So, what’s our plan now? This place is our last, right?”

This is the last place we’re visiting on our journey to find Master because Amagi got angry with me.

◇

“Master, how long do you intend to be on this journey?”

“I’m not returning until I find Master!”

Amagi, who was taking care of me in my room onboard the ship, had not stayed back in the territory as her presence was apparently no longer necessary.

“It won’t do to leave everything up to Klaus-dono. Please head back immediately.”

Amagi was firm with her words, but I was determined to show her that I wouldn’t meekly obey her any longer.

“I meaaaan, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to head back soon.”

“—Please stop misbehaving.”

Although she remained expressionless, I could tell that she was staring at me with eyes that an adult would have while scolding a spoiled child.

“No, I refuse.”

“Please return to the territory, and marry Lady Rosetta. Wasn’t Master planning on becoming a Duke?”

“I only want the title.”

“That will not do.”

“Is there really no other way? Like really really?”

“Master, please consider you position.”

Amagi wasn’t willing to compromise, so I decided that the next planet will be our last.

“Fine, I’ll return after visiting the next planet.”

“I will relay this information back home.”

◇

—And that’s how the journey to search for our Master is about to come to an end.

“I want to get ahold of a clue at the very least.”

I let out a heavy sigh as we walk towards our destination, which is a dojo of the School of One-Flash.

It seems like there’s an imposter claiming to be the original One-Flash, and his disciples are reputed to be extremely powerful, to the point where they’ve been called upon by the governor to be his knights.

After finishing her game, Rinho stretches her back.

“Hey, how ’bout we decide who gets to fight next? They’re going to be fakes anyway.”

Neither Fuuka nor Rinho believe our real Master will be there.

“I doubt Master would accept so many disciples; it’s probably a miss this time as well.”

We’ve traveled between many planets, but we’ve only met imposters along the way.

We didn’t get to meet any authentic members of the School of One-Flash other than ourselves.

Our school dictates that each member should have at least three disciples.

Since Master Yasushi had a master as well, it wouldn’t be that strange to come across a fellow member of One-Flash, yet for one reason or another, we haven’t met one until now.

“I was really hoping to meet someone from the same school.”

If we’re fellow members of One-Flash, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to exchange pointers with one another.

Rinho also appears interested in the idea.

“I’ve also never met anyone from the same school beside Senior Brother and Ellen.”

Fuuka’s eyes are filled with expectation.

“Sounds interesting. I wonder how others have interpreted their One-Flash. What do ya think, Senior Brother?”

What a foolish question to ask.

“Considering how noble Master is, wouldn’t others of the same school also exude a similar air of nobility and elegance? We might not have come across any of them since they’re busy training inside a mountain.”

Even now, they’re probably practicing and honing their skills.

I feel ashamed just thinking about it.

After looking around the city for a while, Ellen notices something.

“Master, that building’s a little weird.”

“Mm? You’re right. The color’s a little different.”

I look closely at the wall—the colors are indeed slightly different.

For a moment, I wonder if it’s simply a design choice, but there’s a diagonal line that runs across the building, past which the color slightly shifts.

Fuuka observes the ground while Rinho checks our surroundings.

The listless citizens seem fearful of us.

More precisely, they seem fearful of our swords.

I put my hand on the wall to check what might’ve happened.

It’s as if the wall’s been repaired after being cut down.

“No way.”

This is the last planet that we’re visiting, but we might be onto something.

A child jumps out with a stone in hand while I’m still in thought.

“Return my dad!”

He then throws the stone at me, but Ellen steps forward and cuts down the stone.

Fuuka applauds.

“Well done! From the looks of it, Ellen might be ready to perform One-Flash one of these days.”

Rinho has her hands on her sword.

“That’s beside the point right now. —Throwing a stone at Senior Brother. This child needs some discipline, don’t you agree?”

Although my Junior Disciples are rather hotheaded, they refrain from drawing their swords on the child.

I glance around to check how the people around us are reacting.

“Did you see that just now?”

“Are they also the governor’s knights?”

“We shouldn’t get involved, or we might get killed.”

Why did they come to the conclusion that we’re the governor’s knights?

Also, while Ellen hasn’t matured yet, her swordsmanship isn’t one that an ordinary person can see through.

Why aren’t they surprised by Ellen’s invisible slash?

I approach the child that threw the stone at me.

“Oi, why did you throw a stone at us?”

“Because you guys took my dad!”

He replies with a quivering voice, annoying me to no end, but I must admit that he’s pretty brave.

Besides, this child may have some valuable clues.

Ellen glares at the child that threw the stone at me.

“He threw a stone at Master. Unforgiveable.”

“—Then should we kill him?”

Ellen looks up in surprise at my question before looking away.

“N-no.”

As I thought, she’s too kind-hearted.

If I tell her to kill innocent people, I’ll be inflicting unnecessary wounds on her heart.

Also, Ellen has grown so much, albeit in a sheltered environment.

Making her fight against ordinary opponents won’t serve as training for her anymore.

It’s become difficult to find a suitable opponent for Ellen.

I turn to Rinho and Fuuka, and tell them to ask around for information.

“We might have stumbled across some clues. Go ask around. Meanwhile, I’ll be questioning this kid.”

They seem like they have something they wish to say, but they eventually leave without saying anything.

I stare at the boy with sharp eyes. He looks like he’s ready to cry, making me feel troubled as to how I should deal with him.

“I don’t know how to handle boys.”

I had a daughter in my previous life and Ellen, who I’m taking care of at the moment, is also a girl.

“I’ll pardon your crime of throwing a stone at me if you can provide me with some answers.”

Although I’m being a bit forceful, I drag the kid along to hear his side of things.

◇

We arrive at the boy’s house, which is located inside a small apartment building.

Despite interstellar travel being a thing in this world, the quality of life feels slightly lacking in comparison to my previous world.

Restrictions seem to have been placed on the people of this planet.

“Yasuyuki! Why did you throw a stone at Sir Knight! I’m terribly sorry, sir. Please, please spare this child’s life!”

Nina-san, who is the boy’s mother, has just come back from her part-time job.

Hearing that her son [Yasuyuki] has thrown a stone at me, she apologizes while looking extremely pale.

Normally a beheading would have been in order, but since I’ve come across some clues on this planet, I’ve decided to prioritize gathering information.

“Instead of accepting your apology, I’d like to ask you some questions.”

“Questions? Well, if it’s something we know…”

Nina-san appears rather haggard.

It probably has something to do with Yasuyuki’s dad being taken away.

“Your son told me to return his father when he caught sight of us. What’s the story behind that?”

Nina-san lowers her gaze before looking back at us, trying to measure our true intentions.

“There’s no need for worries. We’re travelers that just arrived on this planet yesterday.”

“I’m sorry.”

After realizing that we have nothing to do with his father’s case, Yasuyuki looks down and mutters an apology.

It really was a misunderstanding after all.

Nina-san opens her mouth with a heavy heart after hearing about our situation.

“A few days ago, my husband was taken away by the governor’s knights.”

“By the knights of this planet? But why was your husband targeted?”

“That’s…”

Nina-san hesitates to speak, but Yasuyuki stands up and explains what’s going on with a loud voice.

“Dad was taken away by those bastards from the Original One-Flash!”

“Ya-Yasuyuki!”

His mother tries to stop him, but to no avail.

“Master, could this Original One-Flash be part of our school?” Ellen asks.

“—There’s a possibility.”

I’ve investigated the trace of the slash on that store, and there were many points that aroused my suspicion.

Is a branch of the School of One-Flash on this planet?

Yasuyuki asks us for help while wiping his tears away with his arms.

“Th-they took my dad away. They were saying ‘How dare you trick us all’.”

“They were tricked? Was your dad doing something he shouldn’t have been doing?”

I turn towards his mother for answers, and I get a slight reaction out of her.

I hint at the possibility that he was captured by the knights after doing something to the governor, but Yasuyuki denies it the next moment.

“My dad didn’t do anything wrong! He has his share of shortcomings, but he’s a kind father to me!”

“Then why was he taken away?”

While I’m still wondering what reason there could possibly be, I manage to get a vital piece of information from Yasuyuki.

“When they saw dad, they said, ‘To think the Sword God would be in such a place’.”

“Sword God?!”

Blood rushes to my head, furious that someone dared lay claim to the title of Sword God which should belong to Master.

But there’s something strange about what he’s said, and it’s quite obvious once you think about it.

I don’t see any trace of a swordsman inside this room.

It’s an ordinary household no matter how you look at it.

Would a Sword God really live here?

Questions start popping up in my head.

“They were calling dad ‘Yasujirou’. I told them that my dad’s name is ‘Yasushi’ and that they’ve got the wrong person, but they took him away happily when they heard what I said.”

It takes a second for me to realize that I’ve stood up from my seat.

Ellen, who’s next to me, stands up from hers as well and looks towards me.

“Ellen, call Rinho and Fuuka.”

“U-understood!”

◇

Meanwhile, Rinho and Fuuka, who had been asking around for information, learned that there were people claiming to be from the School of One-Flash on this planet.

Rinho observed her surroundings with keen eyes.

“I didn’t think we’d meet someone from the same school at the very end of our journey.”

Fuuka was eating a dango as she walked around appearing relaxed.

“Yeah. The Original One-Flash, was it? I wonder what kind of connection we have with them?”

She was curious about the relationship between them, who learned under Yasushi, and the so called Original One-Flash.

Rinho grinned, and came to a stop.

“We just hafta ask them.”

When she turned back, a man with a sword at his waist was standing there.

Donned in a fancy kimono, the man stared at Rinho and Fuuka condescendingly, confident about his skills.

Behind him were his henchmen.

They all gave the impression of being thugs and scoundrels.

“Are you the ones that are sniffing around? Seems like we have ourselves some cute ladies.”

The men had vulgar smiles on their faces.

The citizens around them all scurried away.

It was still morning, but the city became awfully silent.

“Are you a member of the Original One-Flash?” Rinho asked.

“Thas right. I’m a senior disciple of the Original One-Flash.”

Senior disciple was a term used to describe disciples with excellent skills.

Fuuka munched on her dango, then tossed the skewer into a trash can.

“Finally, someone from the same school. But I have to say, ya have some bad taste, leading your lackeys around.”

‘Isn’t it unbecoming of someone from the School of One-Flash?’ was what she was trying to say.

The senior disciple crossed his arms and said, “These are my disciples. They’re all young members of aristocratic and merchant households.”

Fuuka closed her mouth when she heard that whereas Rinho raised her eyebrows.

“—You’re using the School of One-Flash for profit.”

The two became indignant when they learned that the man was teaching the rich for monetary gains.

They had high hopes for someone from the same school of swordsmanship, but it turned out he had fallen and forsaken his pride of being a member of One-Flash.

Since that was the case, the two decided to help him move on to the next world.

The senior disciple was shocked when Rinho suddenly unleashed a One-Flash towards him.

However, Rinho’s attack was blocked, and sparks flew in front of the senior disciple.

The senior’s disciples were surprised by this.

“One-Flash?!”

“Are they also disciples of the Original One-Flash?”

“But I’ve never seen them before.”

Sensing that his disciples were getting unsettled, the senior disciple roared at them.

“Do not be swayed! A senior disciple of the Original One-Flash will not lose to the likes of them! Girls, you will come to regret making me pull out my sword.”

Rinho’s expression became blank.

“You speak too much. Although we’re both from the School of One-Flash, you have fallen.”

Fuuka’s eyes were bloodshot.

“—Kill.”

The next moment, sparks began to fly between the three.

However, as it was two-to-one, the senior disciple was quickly put at a disadvantage.

“Kuh?! They’re stronger than me?!”

The senior disciple was slowly being cornered.

Nevertheless, Rinho and Fuuka both took some distance from him in a hurry.

The moment they jumped back, numerous slashes flew their way, wrecking the ground and buildings near them.

Fuuka looked up at the roof of a certain building.

“They’re all members of One-Flash?”

The ones on top of the roof were knights dressed in kimonos, and they all had their swords with them.

They stared down at Rinho and Fuuka, ready to unleash their One-Flash.

One of the knights called out to them.

“I didn’t think I’d see other members of the School of One-Flash in such a remote location. You sure you want to continue this?”

Rinho was ticked off by how the man stared down at them. The way he spoke suggested their side would win if they continued.

“You’re overestimating yourselves. Come. All at onc—”

Fuuka stopped her before she could continue.

“No. We stop here.”

Rinho was ready to kill Fuuka for stopping her.

“Huh? You telling me to run away with my tail between my legs? You’re telling a member of One-Flash to show her back to her enemies? I’ll kill you too, you know?”

Although they were sisters that grew up together, she was ready to kill anyone that tarnished the name of One-Flash.

However, Fuuka did not falter.

“Senior Brother has ordered us to return. I told him about our situation, but he insists on our return.”

Since it was Liam’s order, Rinho decided to withdraw despite her thirst for blood.

“—I’ll definitely come back to claim your lives.”

The two disappeared from the spot in an instant, prompting the senior disciples to chase after them.

“Don’t let them escape! We must kill them!”

———————————————————————————————————-

Brian (´；ω；｀): “It’s painful. Lord Liam’s so busy making reforms away from his territory… It’s painful. To be honest, it’s preferable to have him stay in his territory acting as an evil lord, or whatnot.”

Brian (｀・ω・´): “That aside, Volume 2 of ‘I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire’ will be on sale starting this week. Please look forward to Lord Liam’s success, one which transcends even the Web novel!”

[1] People think that Liam’s wandering around the Empire making reforms, and making sure that people in the Cleo Faction are up to his standards. I used the word “reform” here (the raw says 世直し), but if you have a better word for it, please let me known down below in the comment section.

[2] Ronin: a wandering samurai who had no lord or master.