Volume 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.

"Wel...come."

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 didn't 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?"

His disciples pulled out their swords in the store.

They were ready to kill and didn't seem bothered by the fact that they were up against women and a child.

They weren't feared by the people simply because of their connection to the One-Flash or the Banfield Family.

It was because they mercilessly killed anyone that opposed them.

Furthermore, Yasushi was the sword instructor for this remote planet's lord, meaning very few people on this planet could go against him.

"Kid, you better apologize while you have the chance. I'm well acquainted with the lord of this planet. You think you can pick a fight against me?"

The young man replied almost immediately.

"You dumb or what? I've come here precisely to pick a fight with you. No, I should be saying that I'm here because you picked a fight with me. You should be grateful."

After saying that, all but Yasushi and the disciple carrying the shopkeeper's daughter were blown away.

The door and the walls of the store were destroyed, and the disciples were driven out.

Yasushi, his remaining disciple, the shopkeeper, and the shopkeeper's family were stunned by the sudden turn of events.

The young man stood up from his seat to speak to the shopkeeper.

"Bring us four mackerel miso meal sets. Make them large."

(Mackerel miso meal set? What's that?)

◇

There's an idiot impersonating Master.

He must've undergone plastic surgery to look like him, so he's put in some effort. But in the end, he's nothing more than a third-rate swordsman.

Even as I'm standing before him, he doesn't know who he's talking to.

I blew away his disciples as a light greeting, but his expression tells me he doesn't understand what's happened.

"Hey, what's the matter? As an instructor of One-Flash, you shouldn't be surprised at something like this. I know you're just a fake, but shouldn't you be at least somewhat decent?"

I approach the master-disciple duo while grinning, making them tense up.

The remaining disciple throws the daughter he was carrying to the side before making a run for it.

It seems the disciple's got better skills than the master.

Fuuka jumps on his back and pins him down in an instant, pulling out her sword and putting it on the man's nape.

"Don'cha run away! There's no fleeing from a member of One-Flash! If there's a fight, ya hafta either kill or get killed!"

"N-no! I was just hired! I'm a fake!"

The disciple admitted to being a fake, and Fuuka sheathed her sword.

She looked down at the imposter with cold eyes.

"Again? This is already the fifth time."

Just as the man raised his face thinking he would be released, he was kicked away by Fuuka.

The fake claiming to be Master finally realizes what's happening.

"A-are you perhaps—"

"Nice to meet you, you fake bastard. —Liam Sera Banfield, at your service."

The fake becomes pale.

He shivers violently and collapses on his knees. I order him to call forth the lord of this planet.

"Call that retarded lord who hired you."

"Eh? B-but he's a busy person."

"So, a countryside lord doesn't have the time to answer my call? Me, a Count? Death it is then."

"Hyiiiii! I-I'll call him over!"

The whole point of having authority and being of high status is so that I could lord it over others.

I suck up to those above me, but oppress those below me.

How should I deal with this small time lord, who not only did nothing about the fake, but also smeared dirt on the name of One-Flash?

I return to my seat, only to find the shopkeeper looking troubled.

"Where's my mackerel miso meal set?"

"U-um, what exactly is this mackerel miso meal set?"

Apparently, the smell of mackerel miso came from a different dish.

◇

Fifteen minutes later...

I dig into the food that is brought in, and for the first time since I was reincarnated, I get to have a taste of mackerel miso.

"This is it!"

During those terrible times before I was reincarnated, I had to smell the scent of mackerel miso every time I passed in front of a certain store.

I couldn't go in to eat it because I was having trouble bringing any food to the table. Even after being reincarnated into this intergalactic empire, I couldn't find it anywhere.

Some food were similar, but they weren't exactly the same.

I thought of making it myself, but I was too busy during my training to experiment with the recipes.

I tried explaining it to my chefs, but they couldn't reproduce it perfectly.

The food they made were good though, which pissed me off even more.

Then, on this remote planet, I've finally united with the mackerel miso meal set.

It feels like I've found a treasure.

The lord of this remote planet is kneeling down on the ground next to us as we are steadily eating our meal.

"Please accept my most humble apologies for not knowing that his lordship would be visiting here! I have erred, for I was unaware that this man was a fake and hired him as a sword instructor. I will have them publicly executed at once!"

Outside the store, the imposters have been detained by the small-time lord's knights and have been forced to kneel, their faces beaten and full of bruises.

"Silence. I'm eating."

"M-my apologies! Rather than eating in such a dirty shop, I am having a party prepared at my house as we speak. Please, it would be an honor if the Count could attend."

'Don't eat here, come over to my house!' is what he's saying.

I would've normally accepted such an offer, but right now, the mackerel miso meal set is more important.

Also, the crime of acknowledging a fake and hiring him as an instructor of One-Flash is unforgivable.

"Shut it. One more time and you're dead."

The small-time lord becomes silent.

This time, Rinho's the one to speak as she eats the mackerel miso meal set in front of her.

"Senior Brother, what are we going to do now?"

"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 (´;ω;｀): "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 (´;ω;｀): "...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!"