Rising up from a Nobleman to Intergalactic Warlord!!

---Banfield Homeworld, Two Hours Later---

Welcoming us to their family mansion, Rosetta immediately spirited my family and friends away to entertain them. As this was Rosetta’s first time having friends over, as she had none growing up, there was a long list of things she wished to do with them. Watching the women disappear onto the second floor, Fafnir, Liam, and I looked at one another for a moment in embarrassed silence.

“My… My apologies; my wife can get a bit overenthusiastic sometimes.”, Liam laughed, with a cramped smile.

“Do not worry about it; they would have said something if they were not interested in spending time with your wife.”, I assured him, looking to Fafnir. “Sorry you got dragged into this.”

“I am used to it at this point; it does not bother me that much anymore.”, Fafnir replied with a blank expression. “Tohru mentioned there may be some magical tomes I could look over in your mansion. Is that true?”

“Yes, we have a collection of magical texts in my study. Follow me; I will take you to them.”, Liam said, turning to show us the way. ‘Hehe, time to flaunt my extensive collection of relics and treasures!!’

Taking us to the rear of his mansion, Liam threw open a set of mahogany double doors and strode into his personal space with a relaxed demeanor. Getting only a few feet into the room, two women came out of nowhere and shoved their tablets into his face. Recognizing them as engineers from the third and seventh Imperial Factories, they were here to sell Liam the latest and greatest tech their companies had on offer. Assuming this was going to take a moment, Fafnir and I stealthily moved around them and took a seat near Liam’s Brobdingnagian desk.

(AN: See, I know how to use big, sophisticated words… sometimes!)

“Lord Liam, please have a look at our newest destroyer-class ship!! It has forty percent more firepower than the previous generation and double the shielding capacity.”, Nias Carlin of the seven Imperial Factory pleaded, “I bet you want to purchase a few, right? How about I put you down for twenty of them?”

“Please do not let her words deceive, Lord Liam. What she fails to mention is that her employer designed yet another horrendous ship. They went from eight-foot by six-foot sleeping quarters to coffin-style bunks, and that is just the tip of the asteroid!”, Eulisia Moriselle of the third Imperial Factory proclaimed, “I suggest looking over our latest frigate-class vessels. We took your design critiques to heart and made substantial modifications to this generation of ships.”

“How dare you say that! We design the highest-performing vessels in the empire!”, Nias retorted, silently agreeing with her counterpart’s critique. “By going to coffin-style bunks, we have added additional storage capacity for food and munition supplies!”

“Under no circumstances should the comfort of the crew ever be minimized. An exhausted crewman is a threat not only to themselves but also to all their shipmates as well. You would know that if you were a military service member.”, Eulisia remarked, having served aboard several warships in her younger days, “This is why civilians should not be allowed to design warships; you have no understanding of the stresses we are put under.”

Continuing to bicker with one another, the critiquing quickly devolved into personal insults. Completely forgetting about everyone else in the room, they were moments away from a brawl when Liam finally stepped in to break it up. Removing the tablets from his face, Liam delivered a firm chop to the tops of their heads to silence them. As they started to vigorously rub their heads, he began lecturing them.

“Both of you, cut it out this instant! You are embarrassing not only yourselves but our entire nation with your antics. In case you have not noticed, I have an important foreign dignitary sitting in my office. I guarantee he is beginning to reevaluate his decision to ally his people with us.”, Liam scolded them, motioning toward me. ‘My apologies, Victor, I am using you as a scapegoat today. I really want to buy new ships from them, but Amagi already told me it is not in the budget right now. If they kept at it, I would probably cave and end up getting myself into trouble…’

Turning their heads toward us, Fafnir and I smiled at them and gave a friendly wave. Watching their complexions pale, they hurriedly stuffed their tablets into their messenger bags and lowered their heads. Praying that a heartfelt apology would suffice, neither of them wanted to lose their heads over embarrassing the emperor.

“Please forgive our disgraceful behavior!”, they exclaimed in near-perfect unison.

“If you are this enthusiastic about helping the Imperium of Man procure ships, I can let this minor issue slide.”, I answered, as the family butler rushed into the room.

“My apologies for interrupting you, Master Liam. Miss Eulisia and Miss Nias are here to speak with you.”, Brian stated, before realizing they were already in the room, “Oh… they appear to have shown themselves into your study…”

“Please bring us some refreshments; coffee and tea will do.”, Liam requested, moving to his desk. “Next time I have guests waiting for me here at the mansion, I expect a heads-up, Brian.”

Nodding his head in acknowledgment, the butler swiftly departed to fetch some drinks. Once Liam was seated behind the desk, he pointed Fafnir toward the wall of books to his left. Telling the dragon to browse to his heart’s content, Fafnir dashed over and began skimming through the foreign texts.

“So does that mean you have already secured purchasing rights from the government?”, Eulisia inquired as Nias and she dragged some chairs over. “If so, do you know what you are looking for?”

“I just finished signing the paperwork a few hours ago.”, I responded, handing over a sheet of paper to them. “This is what my grandfather is looking to purchase right now. Do you think you can deliver in the next two to three months?”

Looking over the paper, their eyes bulged when they saw the total number of vessels we were looking to secure. Having thoroughly reviewed the state of all military vessels in current active service, my grandfather and uncles determined that roughly a third of the ships needed immediate replacement. The ships they flagged came into service during the Great Crusade and were no longer safe for military operations. While technically far superior to modern Imperial vessels, their schematics had long since been lost, so they were being held together by good fortune and prayers.

“This…this is quite an extensive request.”, Eulisia remarked as Nias began furiously typing on her tablet. “Are you looking to purchase from a singular factory or multiple?”

“Multiple, there is quite a bit of urgency needed for this first round of purchases.”, I informed her. “As a side note, we will need the ships modified to accommodate crew members up to fourteen feet tall.”

Nodding her head, Eulisia began putting her quote together as Brian returned with our drinks. Pouring us a cup of our preferred beverage, the older man positioned himself beside his lord and awaited further instructions.

Seizing the opportunity to speak with me privately, as Fafnir and the saleswomen were preoccupied now, Liam silently stood up and motioned for me to follow him. Wandering over to his collection of hard-won trophies, the first thing he showed me was the alchemy box he took from Goaz’s ship. Handing it to me with a grin, he inquired what I thought of his ornate doorstop. Snapping my fingers, I paused time so we could speak privately with one another.

“Liam, both of us know this is anything but a fancy doorstop.”, I chuckled, engaging the box’s alchemical mechanism. “This alchemical device transmutes objects into any substance you can imagine. Am I right?”

“Shh!! Do not say that so loud!”, Liam protested, glancing back at the others who were frozen in place. “Wait, what is wrong with them?”

“No need to worry; I have temporarily stopped time on your planet. When things go back to normal, they will be none the wiser to what was said here.”, I informed him, having Jarvis analyze the alchemy box while I spoke, “Now then, let us get down to business, shall we?”

“What is that supposed to mean…?”, Liam inquired, placing a hand on his katana.

Informing him that I was aware of his status as a reincarnated person, I assured him that I had no intentions of sharing that information with anyone else. Giving Liam an overview of his current and past life to reinforce my claim, he began to relax and nod his head in acceptance.

“How did you discover I was a reincarnated person?”, Liam questioned, watching my facial expression closely. “I have never shared that information with anyone, not even Amagi or Rosetta.”

“I inherited my grandfather’s ability to see the potential outcomes of future events. It is a powerful ability, but one that I use with a very healthy amount of due diligence.”, I answered, lying through my teeth, “While I can see potential outcomes, I cannot see the path that leads me there. Every move I make is a carefully calculated guess that I hope will take me to the best possible outcome. If I am wrong, though… the consequences can be deadly for my family and/or innocent bystanders.”

“Oof… that is a heavy burden to carry, Victor. I do not envy you in the slightest.”, Liam remarked, grateful he was not in my shoes. “So, where do I fit into all of this?”

“On a personal level, I want to become good friends and just hang out from time to time. While I absolutely adore my wives, it is nice to have someone outside the family to kick back and have a beer with sometimes. Do you know what I mean?”, I inquired.

Nodding his head rapidly, Liam understood the feeling very well. His life as an evil overlord was amazing in every measure, but there were times when he felt the urge to cut loose and be free from constraints. The persona he had built for himself really hampered that option, so spending time with someone outside his usual social circle sounded genuinely amazing.

“Count me in on that action!”, Liam chuckled, giving me a big thumbs up.

“Well then, as your new friend, allow me to share a juicy bit of information regarding a deal the Algrand Empire and Galactic Republic just struck.”, I said, grinning ear to ear. “It is in regard to hunting pirates within Republic space.”

“Oh!!”, Liam maniacally laughed, “Do tell; my coffers have been looking a bit empty these past few weeks. I could certainly use a top-up.”

Restoring the normal flow of time, the two of us began discussing the pirate problem currently plaguing the Galactic Republic. Pulling up several dozen recently updated bounties from the association’s database, I swore Liam’s eyes turned into Yen symbols as he saw the payouts being offered. Sending him copies of the top twenty bounties, he forwarded them to Amagi so she could begin preparations for his next pirate hunting expedition.

“Since our families and friends will be preoccupied for a while, how about that duel I asked you about earlier? Are you still game?”, I inquired, rubbing my hands together.

“Sure am. I just hope you can keep up with me.”, Liam agreed, turning to his butler, “Brian, have the training grounds readied for a duel, please. Victor and I are going to get a warmup in before having a mech battle.”

Spitting out his tea in shock, the butler looked at us like we were crazy. Asking for his lord to repeat that, Liam reiterated his desire to have a friendly duel with me.

“Lord Liam… He is a foreign dignitary, a prince no less!”, Brian remarked, “Are you certain this is a good idea?”

“We are going to use wooden practice weapons; stop being a worrywart and just do as I ask, please.”, Liam sighed. ‘I swear, sometimes I wonder what my grandfather saw in you. All you seem to do is complain or cry about everything, jeez.’

“Very well, sir. I will have the training grounds prepared for you immediately.”, Brian relented, leaving the room to make the necessary arrangements.

Upon hearing that we were going to duel one another in our mechs, the two saleswomen perked up and asked if they could come watch. Wanting to see how one of their nation’s finest mech pilots fared against me, they were hoping to gather more data to help further improve Liam’s personal mech, Avid.

“Fine by me, what about you, Victor?”, Liam questioned.

“No problems here.”, I agreed, turning toward the back door. “How long do you want to warm up?”

“Ten to twenty minutes sounds good to me.”, Liam answered, leading the four of us out to the training area.

Dragging their chairs out with them, the two saleswomen eagerly looked forward to seeing two master swordsmen in action.