In the midst of feeling sick from Liam's gratitude, he seriously considered how to make Liam hate, despise, and loathe him.
--The reason was that Liam's gratitude was more disgusting than he had imagined.
It was already eroding his body.
"Hmm, it seems that making him miserable is the best option. However, there's only an old butler and a doll around. It's impossible to inflict psychological damage with just them. If there were human women, I could have stimulated his past trauma."
He also considered causing problems with his subordinates, but most of the bureaucrats who could cause trouble had already been executed, making it difficult.
If he got too involved, it would lose its appeal.
As a guide, he wanted to provide only the trigger. He wanted to see Liam fail due to his own shallowness or incompetence.
He didn't like doing everything from start to finish.
It was a dilemma.
"I thought he would be more frivolous, indulging in beautiful women, but he's unexpectedly serious."
Despite aiming to be a corrupt lord, Liam was governing normally.
Has he forgotten his goal?
While monitoring Liam, he thought.
When Liam was alone in his office, he began to smirk and chuckle.
"Hmm?"
Reading his thoughts, it seemed that Liam had a certain attachment to being a corrupt lord.
Liam's inner voice could be heard.
(The territory is developing, and the people are becoming more comfortable. After all, you can't exploit them unless they are prosperous first. I'm not interested in scraps.)
The guide nodded happily.
"I see. You plan to raise them up and then bring them down, just like me. I don't dislike that idea. I look forward to what's to come."
Liam was smirking and thinking about various things.
(Should I start gathering beautiful women? There should be a few stunning beauties in the territory.)
The guide was excited by Liam's thoughts of forcibly bringing them.
"Excellent. Truly wonderful. Your vulgarity and small-mindedness are evident. The best scenario would be for you to fail to win their hearts, even if you force them or buy them with money. Or, how about confirming your love and then having another man seduce you? I'm sure Liam would be delighted."
The guide, who seemed to be enjoying himself, was interrupted by Tenjou entering the office.
Liam's thoughts shifted to Tenjou's report.
He clicked his tongue and listened.
"---Accepting personnel from the military?"
"Yes. They want us to accept reserve and soon-to-retire soldiers. They also mentioned that they want to sell us surplus military equipment."
The guide nodded, resting his chin in his hand.
"Hmm, perhaps the military wants to reduce the number of troublesome personnel?"
It seemed the empire had military personnel they wanted to exile to the frontier.
The military was likely trying to offload troublesome reserve personnel to the lords.
Liam looked displeased.
"Probably just useless people, right?"
"But they are regular imperial soldiers. Many of them are graduates of the military academy, well-trained, and have combat experience. They could also strengthen our private fleet."
Reluctantly, Liam agreed to accept them.
The guide smiled, twisting his mouth.
"Let's lay the groundwork for the future. Gathering serious military personnel who won't tolerate a corrupt lord could be interesting. It will be very entertaining."
Even if they don't rebel, it would be fine as long as they make Liam suffer.
Liam was about to indulge in his corrupt lord ambitions.
Serious military personnel would surely oppose him.
When the people rise up, they might join in hanging Liam.
"Let's start gathering such serious military personnel, then."
Snapping his fingers, black smoke emerged from the guide's body and dissolved into the surroundings.
Holding his hat, the guide opened a door to another world.
"Still, gratitude is nauseating. Being here is unpleasant. I'll be gone for a while. Liam, try to entertain me by the time I return."
Because Liam's gratitude was abhorrent, he decided to take a break.
The guide left this world.
â
It was around the middle of his forties.
In his previous life, he would have been thinking about retirement by now, right?
But in this world, it was just the age of adulthood.
I'm living a normal life.
Living, working, and training normally.
Why?
It's a preparation period for evil deeds.
Or rather, I'm starting to feel that this is enough as it is.
After finishing work in the office, Tenjou came to report to me.
"Sir, Lieutenant Nias Karrin from the Seventh Armory requests an audience. She wants to check on Avid's condition."
"Nias?"
A well-endowed and intelligent lieutenant.
"Did she come all the way here just to check on him?"
"It's probably an excuse. The real reason is likely to sell weapons from the Seventh Armory."
The empire is rather lax.
Because of its vast scale, it often overlooks minor details.
Noble lords can purchase weapons from imperial armories, which is unusual.
Normally, they wouldn't allow it or would set conditions.
But the conditions are loose.
The armory even sends people to sell.
"Did they think we could afford it? But new warships are expensive."
It's like choosing between a used car and a new one.
Currently, most of the ships used by the Vanfield family are from the previous generation or the current main models. The main models are designed to be cost-effective with minimal specifications.
They are still sufficient, and I have no complaints.
"Why not sell to the imperial military instead?"
"The Seventh Armory has high technical capabilities but poor design. The prices are also set high according to performance. They have a mixed reputation within the empire. Conversely, the Third Armory is popular for its balanced performance and good design."
Is that so? It doesn't matter much to me.
I agreed to meet and headed to the reception room.
â
When I arrived, Nias was already waiting.
She was wearing a skirt today, not her usual work clothes.
--The skirt seemed a bit short.
Noticing my gaze, Tenjou muttered, "That uniform is a violation of regulations in the imperial military."
I understood when I sat on the sofa.
She was wearing quite determined undergarments.
After exchanging greetings, Nias started small talk.
"You've grown so much. You look different, my lord."
"Thank you. What's the real reason?"
I didn't feel I had grown that much.
Was it her way of flattering me?
"Yes. I came to check on Avid. Many engineers want to know how he's doingâ"
While looking at the gap between her thighs, I said,
"That's not it, is it? You have something to sell, don't you?"
The territory had developed, and tax revenue had increased.
Knowing this, various people started coming.
Nias was one of them.
Nias, with a serious expression, operated a tablet-like device, and holographic images of warships appeared around me.
"I've come to request the purchase of warships or weapons from the Seventh Armory."
The holographic images of the warships, though scaled down, were impressive.
The prices were astronomical.
New ones are expensive, after all.
"The ships we use are cheaper."
"Warships come in different grades. Those with only the necessary minimum performance are cheaper, but the prices are higher for better ones."
A new one could buy three to five used ones of a lower grade.
I didn't feel the need to buy.
While checking the images, Tenjou said,
"When purchasing from imperial armories, taxes are also included. These prices are not inclusive of tax."
Looking at me, Nias averted her gaze and smiled awkwardly.
"But, but, we guarantee the performance! The latest models have been improved and excel in various aspects. For example, this cruiser can deploy more mobile knights than before. And the warship's performanceâ"
In essence, they were selling the latest version of the existing model.
The performance was indeed excellent, butâ
"Why not sell to the imperial military?"
"---We lost the trial and weren't adopted."
Interstellar nations are rather lax, and each fleet decides which ships to buy from which armory.
Trials are frequent.
But the Seventh Armory's warships lost all the trials and weren't adopted.
Tenjou, calmly, said,
"Is there a problem other than performance?"
Nias looked like she was about to cry.
"Our productivity and maintainability were superior! But they said it was too small, the design was unappealing, and the interior was cheap."
Nobles indeed prioritize appearance and interior.
While there are commoners in the military's upper ranks, nobles are the majority.
When selecting, they prioritize design unless the performance difference is significant.
If I were in the same position, I would choose the cheaper and better-designed option.
After all, the performance difference isn't that significant.
Occasionally, there are nobles who prioritize design or those who pursue performance, butâ
If the performance were a bit higher, they might have chosen it for its performance.
"What do you think, my lord? Two hundred ships. No, a hundred would be fine! We can offer a loan. Can you consider purchasing?"
The Seventh Armory, having not expected to lose so many trials, seemed desperate.
"Tenjou, can we see other armories' warships?"
"I'll prepare them."
Holographic images of warships from other armories appeared around Tenjou.
Compared to other armories, the Seventh Armory's ships felt more like weaponsârough and rugged.
But that ruggedness wasâbad ruggedness? I didn't like it.
Other armories' ships, with the same basic structure, had more refined designs.
I thought so.
They would lose.
The performance was indeed good, but it needed improvement.
Especially, the Third Armory's warships looked really cool.
"Tenjou, isn't this one good? Let's make it my flagship."
"Sir, to purchase a flagship-class warship, we need the empire's approval. I doubt the Vanfield family will get it."
We can't buy flagship-class warships over two thousand meters.
We can only choose from warships under a thousand meters.
"I see."
The reason we can't buyâour taxes to the empire were in arrears until recently.
We started paying under my leadership, but the empire's response is cold.
If we try to get approval, they'll likely demand we pay the arrears first.
"Then, I'll settle for this one. It's cooler than what we have now."
Pointing to an eight-hundred-meter-class ship, I decided to buy it.
"Then I'll contact them."
While talking, Nias interrupted loudly.
"Wait! I'm really in trouble!"
I sighed.
"Because of the design."
"Isn't performance more important?"
"If the performance isn't significantly different, we have to choose by design. The interior is cheap, and it feels malicious not to consider it."
It's too stripped downâterrible.
"The maintainability is unmatched!"
Nias, persisting, quickly took off her jacket.
The undergarments visible under her white shirt seemed quite determined.
Were they battle undergarments?
Nias was pushing her breasts together with her hands, deliberately.
--I remembered the time in my previous life when my wife's drawer started filling with unfamiliar, flashy undergarments.
I slumped my shoulders, and Nias looked teary-eyed.
"Why are you disappointed! You were looking at my chest so much!"
"Yeah, I was. But I'm not in the mood now."
Despite being denied intimate life, the number of flashy, small undergarments kept increasing.
--It was the beginning of my suspicion of infidelity.
Opening her shirt, Nias posed awkwardly and acted coquettishly.
Her ears were red, and she seemed embarrassed.
"Please, my lord, Nias wants you to buy the warships~"
Her awkward smile and pose seemed off.
Seeing a capable, cool beauty doing something she would never normally do was touching.
--It made me feel sorry for her.
"Alright. I'll buy them. Two hundred, right?"
"Three hundred, if possible!"
The number increased from before!
This girl is too cunning.
Her seduction skills are poor, though.
"Tenjou, can we buy them?"
After confirming, Tenjou quickly calculated.
"We can if we reduce the number of planned purchases. In the long run, it won't be a waste, so it's fine to buy."
Looking back at Nias, she was clasping her hands, looking very happy.
"Alright. I'll buy them, but you need to improve the design. Even a fake exterior cover would be fine. Spend whatever it takes to improve the interior. It's too cheap."
When talking business, Nias pressed her chest and adjusted her glasses.
"Design doesn't matter."
"Pay attention to the basic appearance. That's why you keep losing trials."
Remembering the trials, Nias slumped and hugged her knees on the table.
Her undergarments were visible, but was that okay? And don't sit on the table.
Tenjou looked at me.
"Otherwise, she's quite disappointing."
Beautiful, but disappointing.
Ultimately, I left the details to Tenjou and left the reception room, looking tired.
â
Bryan was walking down the mansion's corridor.
He heard a conversation, as if someone was communicating.
(That's Lady Nias, the guest?)
Thinking it was impolite, he cautiously listened to Nias, who was communicating secretly.
"How did it go? I sold three hundred ships."
The other person seemed to be a junior from the Seventh Armory.
"But you gave instructions to change the design. The higher-ups will be angry."
"There was no choice. They wouldn't buy otherwise!"
The junior's voice was exasperated.
"Still, it's hard to believe that a serious senior used seduction to close a deal. Did you get involved?"
"No, not that far. But the lord is obsessed with me. He looked at me with a devouring gaze today."
"Really?"
"---Probably. Maybe. He was looking, right?"
"You should have aimed for a better match."
"No, I won't go that far. I closed the deal with my charm, so show more respect!"
"But three hundred ships? You need to sell twice as many."
"I did my best!"
Despite the awkward atmosphere, Bryan thought,
(Lord Liam fell for a poor honey trap!)
Bryan was worried about Liam, who had been tricked into buying warships through seduction.