I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!

Chapter 22: Territory Management

Some nobles only ruled over one planet.

But one planet still had many things.

There were many resources, a myriad of environments, and various other features.

It was the responsibility of the ruling lord to conduct a thorough study of their territorys planets and to manage the domain accordingly.

With that in mind, the resource-rich planet the Razel house rules over specialized in the development of resource mining and processing technology.

So thats the reason why the Razel house adopted acology?

Mining resources eventually led to environmental destruction, so the upper class lived in environmentally controlled cities called acologies.

The places they cared for were beautiful, but everywhere else seems to have been reduced to wastelands.

During class, my desk was lined up with the other children who were learning the basics of domain management.

Kurt was making a perplexed expression.

Was he thinking about adopting this method to squeeze more out of his people?

As I thought, he sure does have the qualities necessary to be an evil lord.

According to the lesson of todays class, it looks like the people ruled over by the viscount worked hard for the chance that they might be able to move to an acology.

Therefore, the lord had the advantage of human resources naturally gathering around him even if he was silent.

Though from the peoples perspective, they didnt have a choice.

Was it really okay to destroy your planets environment just for this?

In my opinion, I didnt really want to invest in this venture.

It wasnt just the home of the people, it was the home of the lord as well. Its not good to destroy the place you lived at.

The way of the Razel house wasnt something that could be adopted back home.

Their way of managing their territory could be said to be as solid as iron, but as a lord, though they werent bad, they werent good either.

Though there was potential to be seen in their use of acologies and their treatment of the people, there wasnt much.

Once class finally finished, Kurt turned to me,

Liam, dont you think that was just awful?

He was the kind of evil lord who squeezed out his people to the very last minute.

I myself was still trying to figure out the last-minute-line.

In my case, I didnt really want to put in much effort, so the moment I saw any lines, I stopped.

Not everyone thinks the same as yourself.

Yeah thats a little sad.

If there was even a little bit left to squeeze out, hed get angry.

If thats your opinion, you should use todays class as a reference to use when running your territory.

yeah, Ill do that.

His father was a man who built up enough achievements to be appointed as a noble.

Therefore, he sent his son out to the Razel house to learn how to manage a territory.

He was the ideal image of an evil lord.

Kurts father- the Baron was a great success in that area.

Taking the Razel houses lessons to heart, Kurts response showcased much potential for the future.

In the first place, being called a lord was great, but in essence we were the same as pirates.

We claimed territory, controlled its residents, and beat them down if needed.

The very fact that we bowed down to the emperor was the reason why we were called noblemen instead of pirates.

But in essence we were the same.

Viscount Razel didnt seem to understand his territory at all.

Well, Im still grateful to them for providing a place for me to make friends and connections while teaching me new things.

As an individual, I also wanted to have a solid foundation for my house, but unlike them, in all aspects.

Some children who came to the Razel house received preferential treatment.

Among them was the person known as Peter.

In his class, Randolph himself was teaching how to rule as a lord.

The children were listening to Randolphs lesson while snacking on drinks and sweets.

The most important thing about territory management is balance.

Randolph explained the importance of balance, and gave an example,

Sometimes its important to take action against wrongdoers. There are even some stupid nobles out there who actively try to destroy all pirates, but most pirates are actually just former civilians if you look into their origins. In other words, theyre people who turned to piracy to vent out their dissatisfaction.

There were only a few children who received preferential treatment.

Most of them seemed convinced after hearing Randolphs lesson.

A lords duty isnt to be in conflict with pirates, but if possible, gain control over them.

Peter opened his mouth,

I understand- back home my house was like that too.

Randolph started to smile,

Thats a bit surprising, but now Im sure our houses can build a strong relationship in the future. Anyways, now lets look at some things youll need to watch out for to prevent losses.

Itd be bothersome if the pirates attacked incoming merchant ships that would stimulate your economy.

But if they say theyll just take tolls from them, tell them youll allow them to do so in return for a percentage of the profits.

Building a mutually beneficial relationship with them is of the utmost importance.

Under Randolphs tutelage the children were led astray.

The Henfrey Chamber of Commerce had received a report,

It was an application for a loan from the Peetak house.

Thomas held his head as he struggled to think of a reply,

more importantly, how could such a house even consider applying for a loan?

He knew that other houses would try to take advantage of them, but the shamelessness of this house in particular was stunning.

Simply put, they were exactly like the Banfield house before Liam was born.

They were in huge debt and their territory was desolate.

And even worse than the former Banfield house was the Peetak houses private army.

Rather than an army, they were more like pirates.

If Thomas refused the loan, the application had written nuances that theyd use force against them.

Unfortunately, their recent trip to Viscount Razels territory revealed to them that itd be better to not associate with such a house. So they couldnt really ask them for help.

Worriedly, one of the subordinates asked,

Why dont we rely on Count Banfields house?

Listening to that opinion, Thomas shook his head,

If we bring them into this, we might end up starting a war. Besides, the Razel house that Lord Liam is currently residing in also has the heir of the Peetak family there.

If they unthinkingly brought Liam into this and messed up- itd be war.

Unwilling to make such a decision, Thomas decided to accept the loan application.

Its obvious that theyre never going to pay us back.

In such a situation, if they didnt lend out the money now, then theyd surely get in the way of business from now on.

Liam was currently in training.

Even if he was returning in a few years, hed be leaving again soon after for schooling in the imperial capital.

He might even be gone for decades.

well endure this for now. I just hope that Lord Liam wont be stained by a poor education while hes at the viscounts.

The Razel house that had a connection to the Peetak house brought many worries.

The things Thomas had anxiety about had increased.

The entertainment district located in Viscount Razels territory.

Inside a place called a black casino.

There was the figure of a noble child in addition to the crowd of pirates that seemed to gather there.

There were even a few knights there. It was an illegal casino that operated in secret.

In such a place, Peter was playing a card game.

He threw down his cards.

I lost again.

A man in a suit approached Peter.

Lord Peter, how are you doing today?

Peter drank alcohol while holding the woman that was sitting on his left by her shoulder.

Im broke and sad. For some reason I keep losing.

While its true that the amount that you owe us has grown quite considerably. For a simple favour, how would you like it if you could settle all of it at once?

Hmm~ Whats stopping me from asking the viscount to clear it?

Because doing so would damage Lord Peters reputation. With that said- Id like to ask you something.

Peter agreed to settle his bill in exchange for some information.

He didnt think too deeply about it.

What do you want to know?

I want information on Count Banfield.

After receiving the image data, Peter looked at the picture of Liams face floating in the air and narrowed his eyes.

Hmm~ I dont know such a guy.

I heard that he was also training in at the Razel house, do you really not know him?

There are actually a lot of children being taken care of at the viscounts residence. If they arent receiving preferential treatment like I am, then theyre probably just some third-class nobleman with no prospects.

Hearing that, the man in the suit started to laugh a little,

Lord Peter, if you can give us some more details, then well be willing to offer you our special service.

As the man in the suit snapped his fingers, an assortment of beautiful women started gathering around Peter.

Peter spread out his arms and started laughing,

Just leave it to me. If all you want is information on that kid, then Ill tell you everything!

I have high expectations for you, Lord Peter.

The man in the suit darkly smiled.

I was brought to a snack-shop near the outskirts.

There, two women, one of them old and the other middle-aged, were selling some home-made goods.

Before the head knight that was singing enka1 songs on the karaoke, I started to complain.

When they told us they were going to bring us somewhere, I thought they were going to take us to a more flashy place.

Kurt looked troubled by my comment,

Liam, youre being rude.

But thats how I really felt.

The old lady started to laugh,

Its fine, our humble store usually isnt enough to satisfy great nobles like yourself.

She said that, but werent the snacks that she brought out absurdly delicious?

Watching me greedily scarf them down, the middle-aged lady looked slightly amazed,

Young children sure do eat a lot.

Well its because it tastes good.

As we made a few more orders, the knight pumped his fist as he sang.

I continued to talk with Kurt while slightly amazed.

The other upperclassmen and underclassmen brought were playing around as well.

Dont you think that theres better places to bring children to play around? This is boring.

Like the entertainment district, places that gave off that sort of feeling.

Kurt was blushing,

No, Id be troubled even if you asked me.

Well, isnt that generally considered important to do so? Eat, sleep, and do the deed. For humans, its unhealthy to be missing something.

No, I dont think it is.

Meeting the three major needs is important.

I dont like ignoring obvious things in the face of beautiful ideals.

In my previous life, I had tried to live seriously.

Ive only experienced going to those types of stores when my boss brought me.

Though I didnt play around because I cherished my family. Looking back on it, I cant help but think I was being quite foolish.

It wouldve been nice if I couldve cut loose more.

As a living being, it was only natural to have desires.

And it was the lords job to prepare an area for those things to be released.

I like businesses that involved such desires.

Its because they can easily make money.

Listening to the conversation between Kurt and I, the old lady seemed impressed,

Youre young, but it looks like you already know whats important. There are many stories in the world that cant be solved by beautiful ideals. Even if you say that a man is a dirty human being once he goes there, I believe that all human beings are already dirty creatures regardless of sex.

This old lady really understood my point,

I like you. Ill make sure to leave a good tip after this.

I dont need it. Just order more food, boy. You need to grow a little.

Kurt looked a little depressed.

Whats wrong?

Its nothing, I just cant help but realize how incompetent I am.

Kurt, who solely thought about methods on how to squeeze his people, seems to have noticed the financial potential of businesses that catered to human desires.

I guess hes growing up.

Moderately release the desires of your people so they dont build up stress.

Such a thing is very important.

However, Kurt still seemed a little bit too innocent about such things,

Hey, have you done it yet?

-bfft?!

Kurt coughed.

Well, even I know that it might be a bit improper to ask, but were both guys here.

W-what the hell are you talking about Liam?! Were supposed to be looking for our marriage partners right now. Nobody will take us seriously if we dont act sincerely!

Sincerely huh?

That was the one word I trusted least in this universe.

When I used to live sincerely, all that awaited me was a cruel life.

W-whats wrong about that?! Its good to live sincerely, and in any case, thats not fair Liam.

How so?

This guy, is he really that innocent?

Evil lords were supposed to know a lot about women. Well, I guess he is the brainy-type who prioritises squeezing as much as possible from his people though.

Hes different from the desire-oriented evil lord I am.

Kurt asked if as if he had given up,

L-liam Does that mean that you Have experience with women?

Huh? Of course I- wait a minute, the closest female Ive interacted with in this life was Amagi.

I still havent laid my hands on any real women.

I dont.

Hey! Even though you were speaking so condescendingly, youre actually on the same level as me, Liam!

The people around us started muttering, Virgin? Hes a virgin. Wait, maybe theyre not arent theyre like that? in whispers and hushed tones.

Youre wrong! I might have not laid my hands on any real women this life, but I actually am experienced!

Would you all shut up already?! I understand! Hey Kurt, you wanna go to the entertainment district after this?

Eh?! No, thats a little

To Kurt, whose voice kept growing smaller, I started to smile,

Lets just get rid of them here so we wont have any problems in the future. Neither of us will get in trouble as long as we keep quiet about this.

N-no, but-

Kurts face had flushed red, probably from whatever he was imagining.

Lets just hurry up and get it over with.

As I thought so, the head knight had finished his song and sat down next to us.

You two should hold yourselves back for now.

Im a noble, cant I play around whenever I want to?

The knight looked a little troubled as he explained himself,

Considering your position, you need to make sure you dont go to a bad place. If you get an STD, things will only get tougher for you.

Cant most of those be treated wit-

If thats how you think then youre an idiot! There are many STDs that cant be treated with modern medicine. Diseases are constantly evolving, so what mightve been able to cure them before may have no effect now.

He told us that there was actually an outbreak of STDs in the viscounts territory at the moment.

Viruses seem to evolve a great deal no matter what universe youre in.

The recent epidemic of venereal diseases was the kind that made your manhood explode! It was that kind of STD.

At first, things would swell up and get larger.

Most men would be pleased with this, but after a few months itd turn red and black and then explode.

Theyd seriously explode.

Moreover, even after treatment, they didnt seem to be able to regenerate them.

It was a kind of disease you needed an elixir to cure.

The worst part about it was that women didnt show any symptoms of it, so it was impossible to tell at first glance.

It was an STD that only destroyed men.

Rather than a disease, wasnt that already a curse?

Kurt, lets go home.

yeah.

Our minds werent strong enough to continue playing around after hearing such a thing.

Brian() Im relieved that theres no risk of Lord Liams manhood exploding. The Banfield house wouldve been checkmated if it did.

Amagi( ) Rather than that, shouldnt you be more concerned about his lack of interest in living women?!

Written by Mishima Yomu/Wai ( )

Enka () is a popular Japanese music genre considered to resemble traditional Japanese music stylistically.