"The world of otome games is harsh on the extras." The comic version is available on Comic Walker and Nico Nico Seiga. Currently, the first and third episodes are published [as of January 4th].
The third episode's publication period is almost over, so I hope you can enjoy it soon.
The book version with additional elements is also available, so please check it out.
Randolph was trembling as he read the report that had arrived.
What was written there was the complete opposite of the initial report.
"They mistook the Pietack family for the Banfield familyâwhat?"
He shuddered at the report that suggested everything except Liam and Peter's faces and names had been switched.
It's unbelievable.
This can't be happening.
How could such a mistake happen?
He was thinking about it, but then shook his head.
"I must immediately inform the pirates to cancel the plan."
The battle must have already started.
In this situation, the only option is to abandon the pirates and send the Raisel viscount's fleet to rescue them, thereby earning their gratitude.
He made this judgment, but thenâ
"Sir Randolph!"
The frantic report from his subordinate was that the pirates had suffered a crushing defeat.
The Pietack family had lost most of their fleet and had fled to the viscount's family for help.
"It's no good. Send them away immediately!"
"But, the Pietack family has a marriage alliance and a military alliance with our family, so we cannot refuse them."
The treaties hastily signed along with the engagement had backfired.
Randolph held his head.
"This can't be. How could this happenâ"
The next report came from his daughter, Katerina.
"Dad!"
He thought he didn't have time to deal with his daughter, but his legs trembled when he heard the content.
"The Pietack family's territory is strange! It's not developed at all, and the information is completely different. Also, debt collectors are asking the Raisel viscount's family to repay part of the Pietack family's debt! Peter's parents are in the capital of the empire, but when I contacted them, they just said to pay it and didn't even have a proper conversation."
They wanted the viscount's family to take care of the enormous debt.
The Pietack family's response was terrible, but it was even worse to ask the viscount's family to pay the count's family's debt.
Even the Raisel viscount's family, which earns a decent amount, would find it difficult.
"Thenâ"
"Is there more?"
Randolph didn't want to hear any more, but Katerina insisted she had to tell him.
"Peterâhad a sexually transmitted disease."
Upon hearing this, Randolph felt the world go dark before his eyes.
â
It was three months after I left the Raisel viscount's family that I returned to my family home.
During that time, I hunted pirates in the Exner baron's territory.
The baron's territory was impressive.
It felt like a place where they squeezed every last bit out of the people.
It wasn't as bad as the Banfield family's territory, but it was a typical corrupt lord's domain.
While staying there and playing with Kurt, my fleet had already annihilated the pirates.
The baron had a daughter, and he asked if I could take care of her when she came of age.
In other words, he recognized me as a fellow corrupt lord.
The girl was still young, so it would be a while before she came to my estate for training.
âWell, that's that.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Liam."
An elderly woman with a straight back greeted me.
"Is this the new head maid?"
She came to greet me immediately upon my return, which shows good manners.
While changing, I responded, and she didn't show any discomfort.
I had heard that she was strict about etiquette, but she seemed to understand who her superior was.
"Do you have something to ask me?"
"I wanted to ask you a few things about your training. What did you think of the Raisel viscount's family?"
There's no problem telling the truth to the head maid who will be taking care of me.
"There was nothing to see. It was a good example of what not to do."
Serious and kindâcompletely the opposite of me.
There were some good points, but overall, it was a family I didn't need to associate with.
No, a family I couldn't associate with.
We just didn't get along.
In comparison, how about the Exner baron?
He was the ideal corrupt lord.
A family I want to continue associating with.
"âYou're quite harsh."
The head maid looked surprised.
"There's no need to associate with them in the future. They'll probably refuse as well."
"Are you not planning to retaliate?"
âRetaliate? Ah, for the poor treatment?
It was indeed frustrating, but getting involved with a serious guy would make the empire noisy.
"I can't be bothered with that."
The head maid seemed to want to say something but didn't ask any more questions.
â
After the head maid returned to her room, she contacted the imperial prime minister.
In an empire where anti-aging technology has advanced significantly, the fact that the head maid and the prime minister look old means they are quite old.
"It's been a while, Prime Minister."
"I've been looking forward to your report. What did you think of the Banfield family?"
The head maid, who used to work in the imperial palace, had a deep relationship with the prime minister.
They had known each other since they were young.
"A model of a clean and upright imperial noble family."
"Do you expect me to believe that?"
From the prime minister's perspective, it was hard to believe that a good boy could improve a debt-ridden territory to this extent.
The head maid agreed but couldn't say anything else.
"Some people just have it. It reminds me of you when you were young."
It reminded her of the young prime minister who was rising in the palace.
Upon hearing this, the prime minister smiled.
"I see. So he has it."
Sometimes, there are people with unbelievable luck.
Such chosen onesâdue to the increase in population, several appear in each era.
"However, it's not just luck. He's quite solid for his age. The Raisel viscount's family is a good example of what not to do. It seems he doesn't need to redo his training."
"âHmm, that family. I've heard many bad things about them. I also heard that the count was attacked?"
"The attack was carried out by pirates claiming to be the Pietack family."
"Young and brave."
The prime minister understood that Liam knew it was the Pietack family but still dealt with them as pirates.
"What do you plan to do?"
"Young nobles who teach the wrong way of the world need a harsh punishment. We will conduct a thorough investigation of this matter in the empire."
The prime minister decided to investigate the pirate attacks and other issues thoroughly.
"But, is the viscount a fool? Why did he choose the Pietack family over the Banfield family?"
The marriage between the Raisel and Pietack families puzzled even the prime minister.
It made no sense to ally with the wrong family.
He decided to investigate whether the Raisel family was coerced.
The prime minister told the head maid,
"Keep an eye on him for a while. He's a noble who will support the future of the empire."
"You have high hopes for him."
"There are too many fools everywhere. Oh, and by the way, I have an interesting story. Please relay it to your current master."
After the communication ended, the head maid decided to tell Liam the information she had received from the prime minister.
â
"Mr. Liam! This Brian was so worried I couldn't sleep at night!"
"Come on, you're old, go to bed."
When I returned to the estate, Brian was crying with joy, which was a bit troublesome.
Looking at Tenjo,
"It's a lie. My sleep time has decreased, but there are no health issues."
âThis guy, did he really worry about me?
Brian asked me,
"By the way, Mr. Liamâdid you learn anything from the viscount's family?"
There was something, but not much.
"No. I made a friend, but that's it."
"Oh, finally a friend for Mr. Liam! This Brian is overwhelmed! Why don't you invite him next time?"
He's happy that I made a friend?
This guy, does he think I don't have any friendsâah, I don't.
Thinking about it, I didn't have any friends.
Is it right to be a corrupt lord?
But, bad guys tend to form gangs, so this might be wrong.
Still, bad guys are supposed to have followers, which is the way to go.
"Mr. Liam, regarding our future plansâ"
When asked by Tenjo, I announced what I had been thinking about for a while.
"I've decided to build a pleasure district."
"Hmm, I see."
Tenjo's reaction was lukewarm, so I tried to persuade him.
"Stress relief is important. But, STDs are not allowed. They are too dangerous. We need to create a safe environment with thorough management. The budget will come from my personal funds."
The annual budget has already been set, so I can only use my personal funds.
âWill it be enough? My sense of money has been off lately.
"Understood. But, before thatâmay I ask why you bought a carrier, and even a fortress-class warship that even our family would struggle with?"
I avoided Tenjo's gaze.
"You knew about the military expansion plan, right?"
When I remained silent, Tenjo pressed further.
"We can't secure the crew. It will be idle for a while. Do you understand how much maintenance will cost?"
"âBecause I wanted it."
I couldn't say that I lusted after Nias's sporty underwear.
"Be more careful in the future. Thanks to this, other weapon factories are offering us ships, and the imperial military is asking us to consider buying decommissioned ships."
The weapon factories are contacting us to buy their products.
The military is asking us to consider buying their decommissioned ships.
They think we have money because we bought a fortress-class warship.
It's troublesome to refuse them easily.
"Then, why don't we buy and distribute them? The Exner baron wanted one."
"You can't just give them away for free."
Brian came to my rescue when Tenjo was about to reject the idea.
"Hmm, then, why not lend them to the neighboring small lords? If they have their own forces, it will reduce our burden."
Currently, the Banfield family maintains the security in the surrounding area.
That's a good idea.
I want to make a profit from the rental fees.
"Alright, I'll contact the military immediately. We'll refurbish the used ships and lend them to the neighboring lords. We'll use the new ones ourselves. This will solve the problem."
Tenjo muttered,
"It doesn't solve anything, and we haven't decided what to do with the fortress-class warship."
While we were talking, the head maid came to me.
"Mr. Liam, I have a report."
â
âPeter's Peter exploded.
Upon hearing this, I was laughing so hard I was holding my stomach.
The head maid informed me of the Pietack family's internal strife.
But, the cause, Peter, was more interesting.
The guy got an STD from all his play.
"This isn't a laughing matter."
I was lying on the bed in the bedroom, with Tenjo giving me a knee pillow, and I was out of breath from laughing.
I coughed and took a deep breath to calm down.
"Ah, I laughed."
"Mr. Liam, what the head maid wanted to sayâ"
"It's about the family dispute. Still, there's nothing to do but laugh."
The Pietack family's only son, Peter, couldn't produce an heir.
This must have thrown their plans off, leading to a family dispute over the next head.
Even if they are serious, a family dispute can split the householdâbeing serious doesn't guarantee a good outcome.
"Katerina must have given it to him. Still, it's no good being serious. I feel sorry for Peter, who was forced to deal with a terrible woman."
"There's a possibility it came from Katerina, but it's not clear if they had a physical relationship."
Tenjo said, "Katerina will have a hard time getting married in the future."
Whether she breaks up with Peter or not, it's a hellish situation.
Being rumored to have an STD is no joke.
"Moreover, it seems the Humphrey Trading Company lent a large sum of money to the Pietack family. They suffered a significant loss."
"âHe's a fool too."
Did he approach the Pietack family to deceive them?
Well, it would be troublesome if they collapsed, so I'll lend them a hand.
They are my precious Echigo-ya.
While receiving a knee pillow and looking at Tenjo's large, twin mountains,
"Oh, Mr. Liamâwhat about that pendant?"
"This? I found it during a mining operation."
According to Brian, who originally aimed to be an adventurer, "It's a souvenir. In ancient times, there were mysterious necklaces that protected against various poisonsâ"
It seems to be a replica of a necklace that protected against poisoning, which is now sold as a souvenir.
"Do you need it?"
"Mr. Liam should have it. Even if it's a fake, you should be aware that you could be poisoned."
He's telling me to be aware.
"These days, poison can be easily detected."
"You can't be too careful."
It's rare for nobles to be poisoned since it can be easily checked.
But, as a lucky charm, I'll keep it around my neck.
It's made of gold and is one of my favorites.
Brian (*ÂŽÏïœ) "Without doing anything, our enemies are being destroyed. This must be because of Mr. Liam's good behavior."