Chapter 94

"『The World of Otome Games is Harsh for the Commoners 5』 now on sale!

『Seventh 9』 now on sale!

『The School Labyrinth on the Isolated Island』 to be released on February 5th!

‘My motto is practicality in dresses! It’s not enough to just have the function of dressing up!’

An interesting designer has come.

Today, I’m having a new dress made for the party, but since one or two designers aren’t enough, I’ve had to call in a large group.

Among them was a man who was adding all sorts of functions to a disposable dress.

—This guy is an idiot.

"Look at these decorations! In a regular dress, it would be a disposable shield energy generator, but this dress is solid. It’s heavier, but that shouldn’t be a problem for a noble!"

Nobles often attach such tools to their dresses out of fear of assassination, but they tend to be disposable. Solidly made ones are too expensive, making them impractical.

You can’t think that you can just transfer them to a different dress. Dresses and decorations are a set.

Reusing them isn’t bad. Saving is good—something the most evil despise.

Rosetta and Ciel, listening to the man, have an indescribable look on their faces. They probably can’t agree with the idiot designer’s opinion that functionality is more important than usability. He’s giving a combat suit’s functions to a disposable dress.

But I like this kind of idiot.

Rich people waste money.

No, that’s not it.

An evil lord uses the taxes squeezed from the people for luxury. Whether it’s a disposable dress or not, it doesn’t change.

I applaud the man.

"Fantastic! I like it."

"Oh, thank you!"

"I have an additional request for you. Tenshi."

"—Yes, sir."

Tenshi, who had been watching in the room, approached me, so I introduced her to the designer.

"This is my Tenshi. She usually only wears maid outfits, which is a problem. She needs dresses too, right?"

The designer was at a loss.

My knights, standing around, were ready to draw their swords depending on the designer’s response. If he said anything to insult Tenshi, he’d be killed on the spot.

But he seems to understand.

"—I, I don’t have experience making clothes for androids. If you could tell me the specifications and give me some time, I’ll do my best."

Some designers had laughed and said, "We don’t make clothes for such dolls here," but I never ordered from them again after that. I thought about killing them, but Tenshi told me to stop because they were a favorite of some noble, which would cause trouble.

—But I wasn’t told not to take revenge. I’ll do it when I have the chance, without Tenshi finding out.

For now, I’m focusing on the man in front of me.

"Name your price."

Tenshi looks at me, her face reproachful.

"Sir, I don’t need a dress."

"It’s an order."

"—But—"

Rosetta also joins in to persuade Tenshi, who is hesitant.

You—surprisingly, you’re a good person.

"Maybe Tenshi should wear a dress sometimes?"

"—Yes. I understand. But if it’s disposable, I feel bad. If I can store it, that would be fine."

Yes! Tenshi has given in.

"Of course! —Hey, make it a one-of-a-kind. Do your best. Spend as much as you want. It should be your masterpiece. But no flashy designs."

"H-Hai!"

As I watch the designer hurriedly start his work, a communication comes in.

—It’s Bryan.

‘Liam, you got what you deserved!’

I feel like I’ve been told ‘Zama!’ and become instantly unpleasant.

Bryan, if it weren’t for you, I’d be torturing you right now.

"What’s up?"

‘The demonstration—The demonstration has grown even larger!’

"Huh!? You should have people assigned to that! What about Yurisha? She’s excellent, right!’

He can’t even handle a single demonstration!?

◇

The Banfield family’s territory.

Demonstrations are being held on various planets today.

"Want some takoyaki?"

"Here’s some yakisoba!"

"Got some placards here!"

Stalls line the streets, and with a large crowd gathered, various services are being provided.

Soldiers are directing traffic, and doctors are on standby.

"That’s not the route. Please return to the designated path."

"Excuse me, where are the restrooms?"

"They’re over there."

It’s become a kind of festival atmosphere.

The one who is dumbfounded by this scene is the leader of the democratization movement who moved from the Integrated Government.

He just graduated from university and has no experience as a working adult. He was caught up in a rebellion just as he was about to start his career.

He tried to cooperate with the rebels to gain a social position, but the rebels were defeated.

He ended up in the empire and became the leader of the democratization movement to rise in this land.

The Banfield family governs well and is kind to the people.

He aimed to promote democratization by targeting this.

He planned to thoroughly fight, making the Banfield family no different from other nobles if they suppressed the movement.

He also aimed to become a leader of the anti-government forces.

Fortunately, there are forces willing to cooperate with them.

The actual lord of the Banfield family, despite being a noble, was kind to the people.

He thought he could rise by targeting this, but—

"Why isn’t our movement spreading at all!"

—The demonstration has grown, but the content is terrible.

The claims of the citizens holding placards and marching are not about democratization.

"Remember the heir!"

" Fulfill your duties as lord!"

"Make Rosetta happy!"

Lord Liam has no children.

The citizens have a sense of crisis because the Banfield family is involved in interstellar wars.

In such large-scale wars, the lord could die at any time, and the citizens have realized this.

The leader is furious at the explosive growth of the ‘make an heir’ demonstration while his own movement isn’t spreading.

"This is ridiculous! It’s a chance! A chance to gain rights in this authoritarian empire!"

As his companions try to calm him down, a university student passes by with a placard depicting a baby.

Seeing the placards held by the leader and his companions, he clearly looks displeased.

"Are you guys the ones who moved here? If you’re going to demonstrate, have you applied properly? We’re busy with the ‘make an heir’ demonstration, so do it somewhere else."

"We, we are fighting for the rights people are born with—"

"No, that’s not the point. Honestly, stop it here. It’s really a bother."

"Huh!? Are you a spy? It’s strange for the people not to want their rights! You must be a spy for the lord!"

The university student calmly counters the enraged leader.

"No, I’m just a regular person. I recently returned from studying abroad. More importantly, don’t you know the situation in the empire?"

"What, situation?"

"The nobles in territories where democratization movements occur think it’s easier to just burn them. Your activities could get us all involved, so please spare us."

The university student, who has seen other territories governed by the Banfield family, knows about planets where democratization movements have flourished.

From past data, the empire’s decision was to turn a planet into a sea of fire and make an example of it.

Some planets have been kept at a minimum level of education to prevent any thoughts of democratization.

"You see, we can study and public institutions function well. We can even study abroad. If all that is taken away because of you, it’s no laughing matter."

"—You’re thinking like livestock. Do you really want to wag your tail for the nobles? As a human, you should think and live on your own! Besides, there are examples of terrible situations when a noble’s successor takes over! Aren’t you worried? Can you live with someone controlling your life?"

The university student is exasperated.

"In this world, many people die from space pirates burning planets. Besides, the lord’s governance isn’t bad for me. Also, do you have any guarantee that you can manage independently?"

"You’re corrupt. Not just the nobles, but you too are corrupt and have stopped thinking."

"Why did you come here? If you like democracy, move somewhere else. There are no restrictions on moving to other territories in our land."

The leader is shocked to be told to leave if he doesn’t like it.

What’s going on?

The leader can’t understand.

Then, a high-ranking person in the territory appears.

A large number of guards are prepared, and mobile knights are floating in the sky, keeping watch.

His companions speak to the leader.

"Leader, something’s about to happen."

"Is it an important person? Let’s see what’s going on."

The leader shakes his head and changes his thoughts.

(That’s right. This is a planet of fools. I can surely control it. In fact, it’s good to know they’re easy to handle. If an important person starts a speech, I’ll refute it and gather people who sympathize with me.)

He plans to use this opportunity to stand out more and gain more followers.

Standing on the roof of a floating armored vehicle, a female soldier with a microphone.

"Participants in the demonstration—do not talk about the lord’s personal matters. Disperse immediately!"

The blonde woman is beautiful.

The leader knows her.

"Hey, isn’t she the lord’s concubine or lover?"

"A, ah, yes, I think so. The materials say that."

Thinking about what kind of speech she would give, she only tells them to stop the demonstration.

Boos can be heard from the crowd.

"We’re serious!"

" Fulfill your duties as a lord!"

"By the way, aren’t you a concubine? Do your job!"

Yurisha, who was recruited by Liam from the military, and this was reported in the local news.

The citizens thought she would become a lover or concubine as usual.

But upon hearing this, Yurisha starts to tremble.

"I, I—"

Then, Yurisha’s soulful cry begins, trying to persuade the participants.

"I’ve worked hard too! I’ve tried to get attention, but Liam-sama shows no interest!"

The participants fall silent.

One person—

"Is he, maybe, not into women?"

—Then, Yurisha starts crying.

"If that’s the case, I can accept it! But, but—He says he likes women normally. I dedicated my youth to become Liam-sama’s secretary! This time, I was thrown into a military re-education facility without even knowing about it! And now, I’m back in the territory and told to calm the demonstration—After not seeing him for years, I’ve been forgotten!?"

Yurisha, exhausted from her daily work, is probably at her limit.

She starts to vent her frustrations with the microphone.

"I, I—want to go on a date! Rosetta-sama gets to go to parties every day, but I’m only working! I wish he would take a day off to play with me. Thinking about getting older without any fun makes me cry at night! I’m worried. I’m worried every day!"

The participants look at each other.

Yurisha, holding the microphone, starts to sob.

Encouraging words are offered to the crying Yurisha.

"Keep it up!"

"Yurisha-nee, something good will happen."

"It’s okay. You’re beautiful. Very beautiful."

Yurisha continues to vent her daily frustrations with the microphone.

"I want to be touched too! But he doesn’t do it! What can I do! I’ll do anything if he touches me! But if he doesn’t, I can’t do anything! It’s not my fault!"

◇

"From the above,