Book 9: Chapter 2: Image Play

Book 9: Chapter 2: Image Play

In a desolate town situated on a remote planet, a stubble-bearded man wearing a kimono was walking down the middle of a road with a sword at his waist.

Behind him were men, who appeared to be his disciples, and people in front of him moved away from them in terror.

One of the disciples addressed the stubble-bearded man as Yasushi.

Lord Sword God, how about the store over there? I heard there's a cute poster girl there.

Hou~ then we must get a taste of her.

It was a restaurant that was owned by a married couple, and it was famous for serving home-cooked meals.

Although the restaurant had just opened, it quickly became popular because the daughter of the owners' helped them out.

When the men entered the store, they caught sight of a girl, who seemed to be a student helping out the couple while wearing an apron over her school uniform.

The men stared at her in a lewd manner.

She was as beautiful. No, she was even more beautiful than the rumors said.

Welcome.

The smile on the girl, who was here to help her family after returning from school vanished, replaced by her fear towards Yasushi and his crew.

Her parents, who were behind the counter, realized what was happening and came forth in a hurry. They stood in front of Yasushi as if to shield their daughter.

L-Lord Sword God! It's an honor to have you here!

Yasushi replied comfortably as he stared down at the shopkeeper, who was bowing deeply.

Give us food and booze. Oh, and have your daughter pour us drinks.

The regulars in the store were about to say something, but they averted their eyes after being glared at by Yasushi's disciples.

There was no one to go against them.

While looking like he was about to cry, the shopkeeper turned to face his daughter.

Sorry. I'm really sorry.

It's fine. I-it's just pouring some drinks.

Yasushi and his disciples sat at a table in a rowdy manner, then began enjoying the food and the drinks while they hugged the school girl's shoulders.

The other guests left the store, leaving behind the shopkeeper and his family to deal with Yasushi and his gang.

They ate and drank for two hours all whilst laying waste to the store before taking their leave.

That was some nice food. Welp, time to go folks.

With Yasushi's words, his disciples stood up to leave.

It was clear that no one would be paying, but the shopkeeper hurriedly called out to Yasushi.

Lord Sword God, p-please return my daughter!

The shopkeeper tried to plead on behalf of his daughter, who was being carried by one of Yasushi's disciples.

Yasushi smiled vulgarly.

I like her quite a bit, so I'll be taking her with me. I'll return her once I become bored of her. Or are you trying to go against me, Sword God Yasushi?

Yasushi stepped face to face with the shopkeeper.

The expression on the daughter's face as she was being carried away was begging for help, but the shopkeeper looked down, trembling.

O-of course not.

Then, he collapsed on his knees, clasping his hands tight in frustration.

However, there was nothing he could do.

After all, he was facing Yasushi, the Sword God.

Hmph. Good choice. If you disobey me, my prime disciple Count Banfield, won't remain silent. GAHAHA!

With that, Yasushi tried to exit the store with his disciples.

Count Banfield, Sword God Yasushi's prime disciple, a virtuous aristocrat praised for being well versed in both literary and martial arts.

A name that everyone inside the Empire has heard of.

Despite his young age, he was a powerhouse that led and organized one of the largest factions.

He wasn't someone that a random civilian living in the outskirts could oppose.

By extension, the shopkeeper couldn't go against Count Banfield's master.

While he was weeping in frustration, Yasushi was exiting the store, and bumped into someone.

Watch where you're going.

A young man glared at Yasushi before entering the store.

Then he took a sniff and muttered, The smell of mackerel miso was definitely coming from here!

The young man was in a kimono and had a sword on his waist.

Next to him was a young red-haired girl, who was also wearing a kimono and carrying a sword that didnt fit the size of her body. She was holding hands with the young man.

Master, the inside of the store is so dirty.

Sorry, but my stomach has decided on mackerel miso, and there's no changing its decision. Hey, shop keep. Clean this place up quickly, the young man commanded authoritatively.

Under normal circumstances, the shopkeeper would've been apologetic about the state of his store, but he wasn't in the mood for that at the moment.

With the young man entering the store, two other women followed suit, shoving Yasushi's men to the side.

Senior Brother, I want a large serving.

Same here.

Hearing what they wanted, the young man behaved in a generous manner and said, Three large servings of mackerel miso, is it? How about you?

I'd like the same thing as Master.

The quartet entered the store as if nothing had happened and looked through the menu as they sat down on their seats.

From a while ago, Yasushi and his disciples had been extremely angry, to the point where they were fuming.

Are you tourists? It seems you lack understanding about this planet.

The biggest and most intimidating disciple walked up to the four and placed his hand on his sword.

He approached them arrogantly, but neither the young man nor the women seemed to notice him.

Instead, the young man was staring at Yasushi in a provocative way.

He didn't even bother looking at the disciples.

Yasushi noticed this and approached the man.

It looks like you don't know who I am. I'm Yasushi, the Sword God. Oh, or are you one of those swordsmen who are confident about their skills?

We'll head to the next planet and enjoy our travel along the way.

Since I was able to discover this mackerel miso meal set, I'll surely stumble upon more treasures on other planets.

Rinho, however, seems bored by that.

So, we're just going to go around the countryside? It'd be nice if we can encounter someone strong, but the fakes we've met have all been trash. It's so boring.

Then how about this? We'll find strong people on the planets and challenge them. It'll be like going on a warrior's journey.

Let's crush some famous dojos during this short trip.

That sounds just like what an evil lord would do!

Fuuka finishes her meal and stands up.

Sounds good to me! I'll be first up!

Huh? Then what about me? My views have been dropping recently cuz I haven't been cutting anyone down.

The most bloodthirsty underground idol in the universe, was it?

Since Rinho's a streamer, it seems she wants to stand out.

You can just takes turns fighting. Ellen, you'll be joining them too.

Y-yes.

Ellen doesn't sound as energetic as usual.

As I thought, she isn't too keen on the idea of cutting people down.

I kind of regret sheltering her so much.

After our meal, we see the shopkeeper and his family standing uncomfortably.

Hey, we're paying.

C-coming!

I take out my card and transfer the payment electronically.

The shopkeeper opens his eyes in surprise.

I-is it alright to pay us this much?

It's for destroying the store. Also, I'll have your family come to my territory.

Sorry?

My order comes as a surprise to the three.

Unlike those petty villains we met earlier, I want the entire family, not just the daughter.

From time to time, I get this craving you see.

Maybe it's because I didn't get to eat it during my previous life.

For some reason, there are times when I suddenly want to eat mackerel miso.

Since this planet is so distant from my territory, it's too much of a pain to come here every time I want to eat.

Hence, I've come up with the idea of bringing back the entire family to my territory.

It's just what an evil lord would do.

Well, but

Troubled, the shopkeeper looks at the small-time lord kneeling on the ground.

I address said lord.

Any complaints?

None!

See? Now, go pack your luggage. This is an order. Your family has no right to refuse.

It's quite tragic indeed.

After all, their lives are being swayed by my selfishness.

That said, I want to speak to the daughter who's apparently been helping out with the store.

Are you their daughter?

Yes.

She's a plain and simple girl, but she'll no doubt become a beauty with a few touches here and there.

Heard you were helping out with the store. Must be tough to earn pocket money.

No, I'm not receiving any. Setting up a store has always been my parents' dream, so I thought I'd help them.

It seems she's been helping out after coming back from school.

What a kind-hearted daughter she is.

Honestly, I'm starting to feel sorry about having the family move to my territory, but if I go back on my words, my reputation as an evil lord would be at risk.

I come up with a certain idea as I wonder about what I could do for them.

How admirable of you to help your parents, I like it. When you arrive at my territory, say my name at the government office. I'll arrange tuition and scholarships for you.

Eh?

I enjoy the interaction where an evil lord gives money to a beautiful girl.

I feel a little less guilty now.

That's when I catch sight of the small-time lord kneeling on the ground.

I almost forgot about him.

You better not let things get to your head again. I'll destroy your family if it happens again.

From my perspective, it's an unforgivable crime to acknowledge and hire fakes pretending to be members of the School of One-Flash.

The small-time lord replies after hearing my warning, which might have contained a threat of destruction.

I'll turn over a new leaf from now!

And naturally you should.

Well, I don't have time to stay here forever.

We hurry out of the store to continue our search for Master.

Brian (): It's painful. It's painful to watch Lord Liam go on a rehabilitative journey despite claiming to be an evil lord. What is he even thinking?

Wakagi-chan (): Attention please! The limited edition of The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs' Volume 6 comes with a voice drama, but obtaining a physical copy can be difficult! However, if you buy the limited edition of the book on Book Walker, you can download the voice drama and listen to it whenever you want, so please consider purchasing a copy!

Brian (): Volume 2 of I'm the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!' will be released on the 25th of this month, so please look forward to that as well!