Chapter 10:
Miss Ethel of the Royal Guard
"T HAT BARON was a piece of crap. Worse than third rate as a
ruler, and a complete scumbag who didn't have any potential as a villain."
I was looking back through the data on the baron's policies as a
ruler. There was a proper way of going about even tyranny. Rulers who
only taxed heavily without doing anything else were just tacky, and a true
villain—for instance, me—didn't even let their subjects know they were
oppressed.
I'd recently raised taxes in my domain to punish my foolish citizens
for their protests demanding I father a child, but they'd accepted the tax
hike with glee, seriously thinking it would make their lives better. Why
don't you guys get mad?! Resist a little, would you?! I want you to suffer,
so why are you happy about taxes increasing?!
That incident had made me all the more aware of the importance of
education. It could be a problem if your citizens were too smart, but they
shouldn't be too ignorant either. It was no fun to do evil if your subjects
didn't even realize they were being wronged.
Anyway, even my own subjects were only on that level, while the
people of Augur were living as if in the Middle Ages. It was rough that the
use of education capsules had been made illegal for them.
As he perused the data beside me, Wallace looked unmotivated.
Even he could tell how awful things were here at a single glance.
"There's no way we're going to be able to get these people up to
speed, Liam. There's not enough time to educate the entire populace."
I'd been planning on using the local people as workers to construct
Page 126
the military base, but we simply didn't have the time for that. Not to
mention, at this stage in the war the Autocracy appeared to be causing the
Empire a fair amount of trouble. We couldn't afford to move slowly here.
If I were Calvin, I could easily see myself leading the Autocracy's
forces to this planet. I'd let my enemies dispose of my political opponent
and act as if it were all an unfortunate result of the war. Wallace could
picture the same thing and looked nervous about it.
"What are you going to do if the Autocracy shows up?"
"Crush 'em."
"Thanks for the reassuring words. You're always full of confidence,
aren't you, Liam?"
He didn't seem to believe me. It was to be expected that people
would think I'd drawn the short straw here. No one else would want to do
a job like this, but I could see a path to victory.
My target wasn't Calvin, who was fighting on the front lines; it was
all the people who were getting cocky back on the Capital Planet. I'd come
to Augur in order to enjoy being an evil magistrate, but it was also to set
the stage for some very important work to come later.
I was preparing for my future. If nothing were to come of it, that
would be fine, but there was nothing wrong with being prepared.
"I've recruited some immigrants from House Banfield," I told
Wallace. "Once they're all settled in, they'll handle the work."
Wallace was surprised to hear it, and it was no wonder. Augur
wasn't my territory, as it now belonged directly to the Empire. Someone
would be assigned to rule it eventually; I was just serving as an interim
ruler in the meantime.
"But this planet's under direct imperial rule, Liam. You're not going
to gain anything by sending your own citizens here. No matter how you
Page 127
build it up, it's just going to get assigned to another magistrate or noble."
Once it had successfully fought off the Autocracy, Augur would be
too much of a pain for the Empire to want to manage itself. It would be
handed over to an up-and-coming noble, or else sold off. Any time and
effort I poured into it would just be wasted—or so it would seem on the
surface. Making sure such effort wasn't a waste was what made a villain a
villain.
"You don't have to worry about it," I told Wallace. "For now, all we
need to do is construct a splendid military base for the Empire's sake.
We've got all the materials we need now, so we'll start with building a
spaceport. Now, Wallace..." I planted a hand on his shoulder and smiled.
"I think it's time for you to go down to the surface."
"Huh? Y-you're kidding, right, Liam?! I can direct things just fine
from space!"
As Wallace threw a fit about going down to the surface, I snapped
my fingers and the Royal Guard stepped forward to drag him off the
bridge, one guard on either side of him.
As I watched him go, I commanded him, "You're going to construct
some public works on the surface. You've done it before, so it should be
easy for you. Don't worry; you'll be promoted to bureaucrat status once
that's all done."
Of course, there was no point in an empty promotion like that for
Wallace, since he would have his own territory at some point in the future.
He knew that as well as I did.
Wallace was on the verge of tears. "Wait! I don't want to live like
prehistoric people! If you don't at least guarantee me proper food and
shelter, I won't be able to sleep at nigh—"
I thought he was blowing things out of proportion, speaking about
Page 128
Augur's society as if it were truly prehistoric, but that was just how it
seemed in this universe.
Wallace was hauled away, and the bridge was once again quiet. I
turned to the knight next to me and told him, "You'll be doing some work
for me as well, Claus."
"Yes, sir," he said, showing no other reaction.
That simple response was great. Claus knew exactly what his role
was without me having to explain it to him. It had been the right choice
appointing him my head knight. He was a way better option than those
other two talented idiots. Claus was plenty talented himself, but he didn't
have the issues with personality that the other two did. He was perfect for
the role of House Banfield's head knight.
Now, let's lay our trap on Planet Augur.
***
Ships loaded with emigrants from House Banfield, as well as
equipment and building materials, descended to the planet from space.
Watching them arrive was a group of royals who served as representatives
of the people of Augur.
The royals representing the planet's various nations watched the
ships with complex emotions, since they had been told that only their god
possessed ships capable of traveling through space. Many of them
wondered if it was servants of their god descending in those ships.
Standing beside a king with a splendid white mustache, a beautiful
princess trembled with anxiety.
"Your Majesty, what is happening? We've never had so many
Page 129
divine servants arrive like this in ships before."
Thousands, then tens of thousands of people poured forth from the
ships, and there seemed to be even more still coming. It was an
unbelievable sight.
Just as bewildered, the king told his daughter, "I do not know either,
but you are the current offering. You must fulfill your role no matter what
happens."
The beautiful princess clutched at her dress anxiously when she
heard the word "offering." She had been taught that as royalty, this was
her duty. "I know," she answered firmly.
The baron had regularly demanded offerings from the planet's royal
families. Not only did he take their beautiful princes and princesses, but
even pressed them to give up valued treasures. The baron had taken great
pleasure in destroying those objects right in front of them.
The royalty of Planet Augur had no choice but to accept this
treatment, though the king and princess both knew the fate that awaited
those sacrificed as offerings. They understood they would likely never see
each other again. It was the same for the other assembled royals, and a
sense of grim resolve hung over all of them.
Just then a particularly spectacular ship descended to the planet. A
smaller vessel emerged from it and flew over to where the royals had
gathered, and when it alighted its hatch opened. Tall armored knights
stepped out from the vessel. They were just the sort of people the royals
would expect to see guarding their god.
The royals all prostrated themselves on the ground. Seeing this, the
knights hesitated for a moment before asking their leader, "Sir Claus, what
is this?"
"These are the representatives of the planet, are they not?"
Page 130
"But why are they bowing to us?"
Unlike his subordinates, who were bewildered by the royals'
behavior, the knight called Claus remained composed as he explained the
situation to his men.
"The former baron forced these people to worship him as a god. He
restricted information and technology to control his people."
The knights' faces twisted in disgust as they muttered, "How
disgusting."
The royals were utterly confused by this exchange, which was
nothing like those that had occurred between their visitors in the past.
"Please pardon my rudeness, but would you allow me to speak?"
The mustachioed king spoke up on behalf of his group.
"You may," Claus allowed. "Before that, however, I ask that you all
stand. You do not need to behave in such a way toward us."
A stir went through the royals at this. They had never been told such
a thing before. They remained kneeling, unable to rise, so Claus spoke up
again.
"Then let me make the most important announcement first. The
baron you worshiped as a god has been relieved of his position. Starting
today, this planet will be governed by Count Liam Sera Banfield, who will
serve as magistrate."
The royals only grew more nervous at being told their god had been
relieved of his position. What would become of them? The baron had
always told the royalty that they were only allowed to continuing living
through his grace. Would their world now be destroyed? A ripple of
anxiety went through them.
The mustached king raised his head and asked Claus, "Wh-what do
you mean? Are you saying we've been abandoned by God?!"
Page 131
Claus calmly replied, "To put it simply, someone of a higher rank
than your god will be ruling over you now, until a more permanent ruler is
installed."
Once again, a murmur went through the royals. There was someone
of higher rank than their god?! Claus cleared his throat, and the royals
hastily fell silent. Once they were quiet again, he told them what Liam had
sent him to say. "Lord Liam has a proposal. He wishes to speak with the
planet's representatives, so please accompany me to his mothership."
So they were to be brought up into the heavens. Some royals
accompanied Claus with great interest, while others went pale, fearing the
worst.
***
"Don't you think calling yourself a god is going a little too far?"
Even though I knew such situations occurred, it had seemed
ridiculous when I ran across it in real life.
As I listened to Claus's report after he returned from the planet, I
stopped working on the documents before me and considered how to
proceed.
"They believe I'm higher ranked than their previous god, and the
immigrants are my divine servants? I like being respected, but I don't want
to be worshiped."
Claus looked somewhat relieved at that. "I've heard rumors of such
nobles before, but I never thought I would see one with my own eyes," he
said incredulously.
People shouldn't play god—not even a villain like me.
Page 132
"The former baron really was scum."
Calling myself a god would be an insult to the Guide.
Claus described to me the state the royals of the surface were in.
"The royals of Augur are having a hard time processing the situation. I
think it will be difficult for some of them to understand."
Well, of course it would be. What were you supposed to do when
you were told the person you'd worshiped as a deity actually wasn't one?
There were sure to be people who didn't believe us.
The truth was cruel, but my plans didn't allow for the existence of
false gods.
"Forbid our immigrants from interacting with the locals for now. I
don't want any of them getting a taste for being treated as divine."
I didn't want any trouble starting between the two groups either, and
Claus seemed to agree.
"Understood. And our aid for the locals?"
I'd been planning on giving the people of Augur considerable
assistance. You might think that was somewhat contradictory, if I planned
on playing the evil magistrate, but there was a reason for it. For my current
goal to succeed, I had to win them over first with aid. Later I could play
the evil magistrate all I liked, but I had to get the annoying stuff out of the
way.
"We'll proceed as planned and gather up the royalty of Augur. I
wanted to abolish the royalty here, but for now it seems better not to
change things too drastically."
People wouldn't be able to keep up if their whole way of life
changed too dramatically. I'd have to take my time and change things
slowly.
Page 133
The former baron had really screwed things up for me. Restricting
development on Augur had been pointless. If I was going to oppress
people, I wanted their society to at least be civilized to a degree.
I had to make sure I enjoyed my time here as Augur's evil
magistrate.
***
In the party hall that had been prepared for them aboard the Argos,
Augur's royals were completely mystified. They were shocked to see that
the world where they lived—the planet—was a sphere, and that it was
always dark in the realm outside that planet. Most of all, they were
shocked by the spaceship they were currently inside.
At first, none of them believed this vessel could be three thousand
meters long. They couldn't imagine how something that immense could
"float."
The king with the white mustache was dizzied by all he'd seen, and
when Liam spoke to him in a friendly tone he began to sweat with anxiety.
"It's probably pointless to tell you not to worry," Liam said, "but I'll
just make it clear to start that I have no intention of harming you. I'll be
sure to see you back to the surface as well, too, so don't worry about that."
"W-we deeply appreciate your mercy, my lord."
The king couldn't stop shaking. Part of it was fear, of course, but it
was also because the man before him—Liam—seemed so much more
divine than the former ruler who had called himself a god.
The king recalled previous dealings he'd had with the baron. That
man seemed so much...smaller than Lord Liam. And the servants at this
Page 134
lord's side are all so kind-hearted.
The baron's vassals had looked down upon the planet's royalty,
even on occasion dressing them in ridiculous clothes to make them into
laughingstocks. However, for the moment, no one here looked down on
them at all. In fact, the people the royals were compelled to bow their
heads to in the past now seemed to treat them with respect.
Liam took a sip from the glass in his hand. The royals all followed
suit. The alcohol they'd been served tasted better than anything they'd ever
drunk before. As they enjoyed themselves, Liam spoke again.
"Now, to explain things in a way that'll be easy for you to
understand, my position is two ranks higher than that of the guy who was
here before. I'll be governing your planet for now instead of him."
The royals could all accept that this man was higher ranked than
their previous god.
"H-how do you plan to rule us?" the king with the white mustache
asked on the group's behalf.
Liam chuckled. "I'll only be here for a short while, but I won't take
anything from you. I'll only give."
"Give? Err, and what about taxes? And offerings?"
Liam smiled awkwardly at the royals, who had only ever been taken
from before. "I don't need any of that. Just take it easy for a while. But
let's see... For now, bring me someone young from your ranks, and I'll
give them an education."
The king was slightly disappointed at those words. So he's the same.
But I'm inclined to trust him more than the last man. In that case...
The king glanced at the princess. She came to his side, and he
introduced her to Liam. "This is my daughter. Though you may doubt me
because I'm her father, she is the most beautiful woman in my country.
Page 135
You may do with her as you wish, Lord Liam."
The princess curtsied. "I am yours, Lord Liam. Do with me as you
will."
Liam grimaced at their words, and the king fretted that he'd made
some mistake. Then Liam finished his drink and said, "Don't get the
wrong idea. I meant only what I said. I'll take her to give her an education,
and then I'll send her back home in a year. I'm not wanting for women."
When they heard "I'm not wanting for women," it wasn't the royalty
who reacted with surprise, but Liam's own vassals. Their eyes went wide
as they exclaimed in shock, but when Liam gave them a look, they all
hastily averted their eyes.
The royals cocked their heads in confusion, but Liam acted as if
nothing had happened and continued, "I just want to teach one of your
young how vast the universe is. I won't lay a hand on her, so don't worry.
If you have any questions, I'm happy to answer them for you."
"Th-thank you very much."
I don't know if I should be happy to hear that he won't be laying a
hand on my daughter...
To the king with the white mustache, his daughter was the most
precious girl in the world. He was of two minds about the fact that Liam
hadn't so much as given her a second glance.
"You don't need to worship me as a god," Liam declared to the
royals. "I'm just the governor of this planet—a magistrate. Just go ahead
and call me 'Lord Magistrate.'"
The assembled royals, who had been tormented by a baron who
called himself a god, all wept in happiness at the way in which Liam
behaved.
Page 136
***
After the party with the local royals, Liam headed to a breakroom.
Guarding him was Ethel, head of his Royal Guard, and waiting inside the
room was one of his maid robots to serve him. Meanwhile, within Liam's
shadow hid one of Kukuri's subordinates, with more concealed nearby.
Liam on his own was strong enough to defeat a Swordmaster, but the party
seemed to have exhausted him.
He sat down on a couch to relax, noting, "This planet really is
trouble." He seemed to truly despise the idea of the locals worshiping him
as a god.
"What shall we do with the former baron, Lord Liam?" Ethel asked
him.
He'd been planning to embarrass the man somehow to prove to the
planet's citizens that he wasn't a god, but Liam had changed his mind after
meeting the royalty today.
"Some of them really seem to believe that piece of crap is a god.
Instead of potentially antagonizing them by embarrassing him, it'd be
better if he just quietly disappeared."
Ethel was deeply moved by Liam's consideration of the local
people. "You're being very kind to them, considering they will only be
your subjects for a short time. They are blessed."
These words had come from the heart, a product of her deep respect
for Liam, but he didn't take her praise that way.
"Trying to flatter me?"
"No... I truly feel that way."
"Right. Oh, I almost forgot..." Before the conversation could taper
Page 137
off, Liam ordered Ethel, "Since I have no more use for him anymore,
dispose of the former baron."
Ethel shuddered at the complete lack of emotion in his voice. "Very
well."
Immediately after treating his subjects with respect, he shows no
mercy whatsoever to an enemy. Ahh, Lord Liam truly is the embodiment of
the ideal noble!
In addition to skill, loyalty was required to serve in the Royal Guard.
They were the very best of the knight corps to which people like Tia and
Marie belonged, and an excess of loyalty was standard among them.
Page 138