v10c1 – Prologue

AN (2022/04/20):
‘I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! vol. 3’ is going on sale Apr 25.
Please support the print edition as well.

Where did he go wrong?

The one that started constantly bearing such doubts is the Guide, who’s currently hugging his knees atop a mountain of rubbish.

“Liam acquired the power to take entities like me down. What can I even do from now?”

Using the True Flash(?), Liam defeated Gudwar.

In other words, said attack would also reach the Guide.

“Would I be better off leaving Liam as he is now? B-but, I won’t be satisfied with that! Didn’t I swear to certainly get revenge on him!”

Liam ranked up from an existence that couldn’t be easily interfered with, to one that would be dangerous if messed with tactlessly.

Such a thing happening is also because of the Issen-ryu school that originally didn’t exist.

“To begin with, that guy is strange! What even is the Issen-ryu. It’s wrong to take such a street performance act seriously and replicate it!”

A sword art that shouldn’t actually exist was replicated using his own misunderstandings and ability, and with that power he transcended the realm of humans.

Originally speaking, an existence like Liam couldn’t be made even if someone devoted themselves to.

Liam’s existence itself is a miracle.

“But, if I get close to him like this I’ll be erased.”

What the Guide recalls, shivering, is the avatar of power that Liam produced unconsciously. The giant of light that he materialized using his own strength would smash his gratitude into the Guide upon seeing him, with no room for argument.

That is thanks to Liam being grateful to the Guide on a daily basis.

Despite being an unconscious action from Liam, the giant of light moves to force the feelings of gratitude into the Guide.

The current Liam that acquired a power transcending humanity isn’t an existence that the Guide can easily get close to.

If he does so carelessly, he’ll have gratitude forced into him and erased from existence.

“――Since it’s become like this, I’ll destroy Liam using the real world. That’s more practical.”

If it’s not possible for him to take action himself, then he should just have humans like Liam destroy him instead.

Fortunately, Liam has many enemies.

Supporting them and taking Liam down that way is a practical plan that even the current Guide can perform.

“But you know――I’ve failed at that countless times already.”

Since the forces he’s supported have been destroyed completely each time, the Guide has lost his self-confidence.

He slowly bids his heavy-feeling body to rise, and looks up at the sky.

The skyline of the capital planet, covered by metal, is displaying nighttime.

It’s an incredibly beautiful night sky at first glance, but all of it is manmade.

The capital planet looks like a world covered in metal from the outside.

“This Empire’s capital planet, secluded in its shell, truly is splendid with its stagnant air. Just by being here the wounds that Liam gave me are starting to heal.”

To the Guide, who loves negative emotions, the malice and lust of everybody piled up over millennia feels incredibly great.

The metallic shell for their protection is making the capital planet ever more stagnant.

It’s a place that’s just right for the injured Guide to heal his body.

“Now then, it’s about time to go take a look. The one I have the highest expectations for―― As I thought, it should be Calvin.”

Calvin―― The crown prince of the Algrand Empire, and an existence who stands in opposition to the third prince Cleo that Liam backs.

Realistically speaking Cleo himself has no power at all, and the intense fight is with Liam who’s become his backer. 

Liam having become a prominent power broker even within the vast Empire, the only one at the moment who can compete with him is Calvin.

However, there’s a problem with that Calvin as well.

“Calvin in that state, too, doesn’t seem as good when compared to Liam. Can he win if I support him, or not? In the first place, it’s dubious if he’ll be a match for Liam even with my support.”

The Guide, too, has been of assistance to Liam’s strength up till now.

With each and every time being a failure, the Guide is even wondering if it’s actually better not to render any assistance to Calvin.

However, without his involvement, Liam will win by default.

“For now, let’s take a look at the situation.”

The Guide decided to investigate the state of affairs of the capital planet.

Since he’s been staying in a different interstellar nation for a while now, he’s become unfamiliar with the internal conditions of the Empire.

The Guide sets out on his investigation with heavy steps, becoming concerned with Calvin’s movements as well.

◇

The building Calvin resides in within the inner palace of the Empire looks just like a palace itself.

The ‘inner palace’ is actually awfully large, even having countless high-rise buildings and the like within it. 

It’s a place reminiscent of a metropolis.

In the halls of Calvin’s palace, Kukri’s subordinates are sprawled out on the ground.

Spitting out blood, one of the subordinates glares upwards at one man: Cleo.

“You’ve betrayed Liam-sama!”

The man has a distinctive air with his short red hair and asymmetrically-cut bangs longer on the right.

With his beautiful androgynous looks, he appears almost like a woman clad in mens’ clothes.

Such a man looks down his nose with cold eyes at the subordinates that had been assigned to his protection up till now.

“I am grateful to the Count, you know. It’s undoubtedly thanks to Banfield that I’ve been able to survive till today. But――that man has served his purpose.”

“Even you alone―― !”

Kukri’s subordinate moves to detonate the explosives on his person, but dozens of blades shoot through his body.

He stops lifelessly in his tracks, taking his last breath.

This is Calvin’s palace.

Hundreds of Calvin’s black ops personnel surround Cleo. 

Descending down the vast staircase of his palace and surrounded by knights is Calvin.

Stopping halfway down the staircase, he regards Cleo with a suspicious gaze.

“I didn’t think you would go this far. Count Banfield won’t keep quiet with a traitorous move like this.”

Who Liam dispatched for Cleo’s protection are the precious subordinates of Kukri.

They’re excellent, but their numbers are few and not expected to increase for a while, either.

Cleo offers up the heads of three such bodyguards to show his sincerity to Calvin.

“I’m fully aware of the consequences. Me, I’m not compatible with that man.”

(That’s right. I can’t turn back any longer. Liam――Looks like I’m not a person magnanimous enough to accept you.)

The light of life gone from his eyes, Cleo considers Liam with his greater influence to have become an obstacle.

He had thought that he would securely obtain the rights to the throne with Liam as his backer, but he’s become unable to put up with being a mere decoration to him.

Calvin seems unable to trust such a man.

“You plan on throwing away your firm position with that? What do you want to do? With your position, you’ll likely acquire the status of Crown Prince without having to lift a finger. You can ascend to the throne just like that. Deposing Count Banfield, too, should be done after becoming Emperor.”

If he plans on cutting off the loyal retainers backing him and ruling with an iron first, it’s better to do it after acquiring the throne.

It seems like Calvin can’t wrap his head around Cleo’s actions.

Cleo himself is aware of that.

“More than becoming Emperor, I can’t stand being handled as that man pleases under him, that’s it.”

But――He’s become unable to endure being treated as Liam’s decorative object.

“As a man, I want to build proof that I’m alive in this world. I believe it’s better to topple that Banfield than to accept being somebody’s decoration, that’s all.”

Calvin narrows his eyes.

He seems to doubt Cleo’s betrayal.

“There were once those in the Empire that betrayed and killed their allies as proof. However, there were also those that used that as part of their plan to fool their enemies. With an offering of that level, I have no confidence that you’re truly intending to ally with me.”

At Calvin’s utmost caution, Cleo merely shrugs.

“Seems like Brother is spineless.”

The surrounding operatives and knights ready their weapons at those words, but Calvin reins them in with a raised hand. 

“Hold! ――Cleo, you understand, don’t you? Betrayal is something more serious than you’re thinking. Not to mention, the person you’re betraying will be your enemy.”

Are you seriously betraying Count Banfield――Liam? At Calvin’s question, Cleo makes a slight smile.

“I’ll support Brother’s acquisition of the Empire from the side. Rather than leaving it to Banfield, let’s make the Empire robust.”

More than ascending to the throne himself, Cleo wishes for victory against Liam.

Calvin’s expression becomes bitter.

Cleo murmurs.

“Brother――already has no way out, right?”

That is, from the very beginning, Calvin had no other option but to go along with Cleo.

Calvin, who had been continuing to lose to Liam, no longer has any way out.

“――Alright.”

At Calvin’s decision, Cleo kneels.

“From now, I’ll act as an extension of Brother.”

◇

Sure enough, humans are wonderful.

The Guide is even touched as he observes the two from behind a pillar.

He’d been constantly dealing with strange people who would forcibly press gratitude onto him, but humans aren’t rational by nature.

Even in a situation where all would go well if they would merely wait and see, they cultivate dissatisfaction and bring each other down.

To the Guide, the Cleo that’s a slave to his negative emotions seems like a glowing existence.

“Humans still have potential. As I thought, humanity’s enemies are humans themselves.”

The Guide nods sagely seeing Cleo’s twisted feelings, making a show of wiping tears from his eyes.

“Cleo――and Calvin. If you two join hands, even Liam will surely be in danger. Although he might be considered strong, Liam is still a human, if barely. He can’t survive alone.”

Calvin, his enemy within the Empire, is working together with Cleo, his purported ally.

Their reason is to subjugate Liam.

The Guide feels delight well up at Liam already being put into a disadvantageous position without him having to lift a finger.

“I’ve been making light of humans’ strength, it seems. I’ll support you two as much as possible.”

As the Guide watches over the two with a delighted grin, Calvin puts Cleo to the test without delay.

“Winning against Count Banfield who can even be said to be the Empire’s strongest swordsman. That’s easy to say, Cleo, but――do you have some kind of plan?”

Even Calvin and his group have been continuously losing to Liam.

On the surface he’s merely asking for Cleo’s plan, but this is a test.

Is he seriously planning to be Calvin’s ally? And, will he be of use?

Cleo gets back up and answers.

“The strongest swordsman should be put up against the strongest swordsman.”

“That’s true. However, of the four Sword Saints of the Empire, three have already been done in by the Issen-ryu. The last one can’t move from his position at the border. Can you think of anyone to put up against Liam in that case, I wonder?”

Being told that anyone could come up with something of that level and that the chances of success were slim, Cleo chuckles into his fist.

Cleo elaborates while giving off an ominous atmosphere.

“Let’s mass produce Avid, that strongest mobile knight in Banfield’s possession.”

“That’s a mass of rare materials. If we’re unlucky, that amount is worth several new fleets.”

“He’s an opponent worth that much.”

“Even if we can prepare something like that, we don’t have a pilot for it.”

“We can prepare pilots, too.”

As Calvin inclines his head in puzzlement, Cleo projects a video of his prior plan into the air.

“We’ll outfit it with an artificial intelligence that’s finished deciphering Liam’s piloting data. And, let’s prepare a clone of Liam to pilot it.”

“W, what did you say!? Are you insane!? Both of those things are forbidden!!”

The artificial intelligence that once tried to eradicate humanity.

And, the prohibited technology of cloning.

He’d be alright if it was just reproducing Avid, but at the use of those two technologies, Calvin displays his revulsion.

Cleo speaks in puzzlement at Calvin’s reaction.

“There’s no meaning if we don’t win. Banfield is that strong of an enemy.”

Worriedly, Calvin asks Cleo how much he has advanced that right now.

“How far have you progressed that plan?”

“I have begun the training of the artificial intelligence. It’s a shame, but I don’t have Banfield’s gene samples. In the worst case, we’ll collect genes from his parents and prepare an existence surpassing Liam. What I wish for from Brother is a machine like Avid――No, a machine surpassing Avid.”

Calvin worries, but he doesn’t know if there’s any future left for him after losing to Liam at this rate.

Dying a simple death is yet preferable.

Fearing for his own future, and as long as he doesn’t have to be involved with those taboos, he promises to prepare a machine surpassing Avid.

“Alright. I’ll prepare the machine. But, will Count Banfield come out to fight?”

“If he doesn’t, we can just have the prepared machine run roughshod all over the Banfield house’s troops. A machine surpassing human limits built from prohibited technology will certainly eradicate Banfield, won’t it.”

Looking at the giggling Cleo, Calvin breaks into cold sweat.

Seeing Cleo stooping to any underhanded moves he can find, the Guide is moved to emotion.

At the same time he realizes the danger.

“Wait a minute? He still hasn’t acquired Liam’s genes, the important bit? In the first place, Liam’s current machine is loaded with the Machine Heart, you know?”

The Guide worries.

Like this, Cleo and Calvin will end up failing.

In order to increase the chances of success even a little, Liam’s genes are essential.

“I-If it’s like this then I have no choice but to support them, I think.”

As the Guide considers aiding the two, Cleo orders Calvin’s subordinate.

“You over there, shoot me.”

“Hah? What?”

The subordinate is bewildered at Cleo’s order, but noticing the intention behind it, Calvin acknowledges unwillingly and lets him proceed.

“You’ll even injure yourself to fool him――You’re willing to go that far?”

Cleo smiles at Calvin’s question.

“I hope that my resolve to go this far will be recognized. In addition, it’ll be suspicious if I’m uninjured. No, even if I am, I’ll probably still be suspected, though. It’ll be in my favor if they feel a little indebted.”

He’ll even injure himself in order to fool Liam.

Even though he might be killed on the spot for real if he was unlucky, Cleo doesn’t fear that happening.

Calvin responds to such resolve from Cleo with distaste.

“It’s an appropriate resolve for the Prince of this bloodridden Empire.”

“You honor me with your praise.”

Calvin’s subordinate raises his weapon towards Cleo and pulls the trigger.

Bryan (´・ω・｀) “It’s painful that Liam-sama doesn’t appear in this scene.”

Sapling-chan ( ゜∀゜) “Guide-san the heroine(lol) appeared, though!”

Bryan (´・ω・｀)ノ “Setting that aside, ‘I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire! vol. 3’ is going on sale on Apr 25. The limited edition sold by Melonbooks is still in stock, so those interested in that edition, please head to the e-commerce site to purchase it.”