Chapter 12

At the Kimirano event,

"The Next Light Novel Grand Prize 2021" is being held,

and "I Am the Wicked Lord of an Interstellar State!" has been nominated.

You can vote once a day, so please be sure to cast your vote.

Merea's hangar.

In front of Atalante, which Mohayev had just brought in, Mollie was scratching her head.

"These arms and legs are probably all going to need replacement. If it gets this bad in one sortie, it might not just be a matter of a reprimand."

The left arm, in particular, was in such bad shape that it was decided to replace it rather than repair it.

The personnel from the Third Weapons Factory, who were conducting the inspection, had a grim look on their faces after seeing Emma's flight records, having quickly finished cleaning the cockpit.

"---Unbelievable."

Moll's words expressed the feelings of everyone present.

One after another, they brought in equipment and connected it, enthusiastically collecting data.

Although Emma had destroyed Atalante in just one sortie, they seemed to be impressed that she had managed to pilot it without it self-destructing.

"Amazing. Amazing. That lieutenant is the real deal."

Mollie, watching the excited Moll and others, sighed.

Deciding that she couldn't repair it herself, she moved away from Atalante and found Dug.

"Huh? Dug, what about your work?"

"---It's done. I feel terrible."

Regarding the captured pirates, it was decided that only the officers were necessary.

Claudia's unit was handling all the cleanup, so Merea's unit had returned to the flagship.

Mollie, who knew what was happening outside, had a slightly troubled expression.

Then, she looked up at Atalante.

"I wonder if Emma is okay?"

Dug, looking down, shook his head.

"It must be tough on her."

◇

The battleship moored alongside Merea was visited by Emma, who had taken a shower and changed into her uniform.

She had dark circles under her eyes and a pale face.

Her chest felt heavy and nauseous, and her once bright eyes were slightly clouded.

(Feeling sick)

Although Emma had vomited in the cockpit, it wasn't due to the intense shaking. That was one reason, but the main cause was something else.

As she walked unsteadily down the ship's corridor, she passed by the crew members of this battleship.

"Is that the lieutenant we've heard about? She's quite cute, isn't she?"

"Someone called her 'Flash,' I heard."

"That's a good nickname."

Hearing the two voices pass by, laughing, Emma didn't have the energy to care.

Her destination was Claudia's room, her former instructor.

(I wonder why I was called here? It must be because I destroyed the machine, right?)

As an experimental unit, Atalante was more expensive than the mass-produced Nevan.

If she had destroyed it, a reprimand would be understandable.

Arriving unsteadily at her destination, Emma pressed the switch next to the door.

Her fingerprints and retinas were confirmed.

The door partially turned into a monitor, showing Claudia inside the room.

"Lieutenant Emma Rodman reporting, Colonel Claudia."

"---Come in."

Upon being granted entry, the door opened automatically.

Emma said, "Excuse me," and entered the room, where the gravity was different.

Claudia, who was training, had increased the gravity in the room.

Realizing that the colonel had such advanced training facilities in her room, Emma thought, "The colonel is amazing."

(When you become a colonel, you get high-end training facilities in your room. But, it might be a bit too intense.)

For Emma, who wasn't feeling well, the room's environment was harsh.

Noticing this, Claudia returned the gravity to normal.

Claudia, in her training gear, had her long hair tied back in a ponytail.

She was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, as if she had pushed herself quite hard before Emma arrived.

(Back from a mission and already training?)

It seemed that Claudia had started training as soon as she returned, leaving the post-mission cleanup to her subordinates.

"Colonel, you started training as soon as you got back?"

"---My subordinates are nagging me to rest."

"Shouldn't you rest your body?"

"If I can't handle this level, I'll retire as a knight."

Emma couldn't believe that Claudia, who had been told to rest, was training.

Claudia, sitting on a bench of the training equipment, was looking at Emma.

Confused, Emma asked Claudia about the reason for the summons.

"A, ah..."

"Lieutenant Emma Rodman. I wanted to talk to you."

"Huh?"

Claudia, who wanted to talk to Emma, told her to sit down.

Facing each other, they talked about today's battle and her first sortie.

"I misjudged you. I will correct my evaluation and apologize. ---I'm sorry."

Seeing Claudia's expression, which seemed to blame herself, Emma hurriedly denied it.

"N, no, that's not it! I destroyed Atalante. I'm a bad knight."

"Considering the circumstances, it was unavoidable. There's no need to be modest. You handled the machine like an extension of your body and, moreover, you killed the enemy. You are a fine knight of the Banfield family."

Hearing that she had killed the enemy, Emma's face drained of color.

The reason she had vomited in the cockpit was that she had realized she had killed someone.

Seeing Emma's slight trembling, Claudia changed the subject.

"You told me you wanted to be a knight of justice like Liam, didn't you?"

"---Yes."

"If you aim to be anything, as long as it doesn't harm the Banfield family, I won't stop you. However, you must know the truth about him."

Hearing about the truth, Emma was reminded of River's words.

That Liam, like them, was someone who took life lightly.

Claudia told Emma about Liam.

"I've fought alongside him many times since I started serving the Banfield family. He has never once called himself a hero. In fact, it's the opposite."

"Eh?"

"He said he is a villain."

Emma couldn't believe that Liam, who was revered as a good ruler by the people, would publicly call himself a villain.

"That's a lie. Because!"

"It's the truth."

Emma couldn't accept that the person she admired was evil.

Interrupting Emma's attempt to argue, Claudia said, "Listen to the whole story."

"He killed a person at the age of ten. The first one he killed was a corrupt official, and it's even in the official records."

"I've heard of it, but I thought it was just a rumor."

"It's the truth. A child, still young, killed a corrupt official. What do you think of that?"

When asked, Emma recognized it as one of Liam's characteristic stories.

"Maybe he couldn't tolerate the existence of corrupt officials?"

"I envy your simplicity."

Claudia's slight smile shocked Emma, who thought she was being mocked.

"---I was involved in the military expansion of the Banfield family, including its organization."

Suddenly changing the subject, Claudia expressed her honest opinion about the soldiers on Merea.

"I advised that all the old military personnel on Merea should be discharged. I thought they were unnecessary for the Banfield family."

Emma looked down.

From her brief time on Merea, she felt sympathy for Claudia's judgment, which seemed too cold.

"They have their reasons."

"I know. They were the core of the military, but they were stripped of their leadership and sent to the frontier. It's understandable that they have their thoughts."

"You knew?"

"Of course. Liam and Lady Christiana considered this and organized the frontier security forces, which were relatively safe, for those who wanted to stay in the military. For you, it might seem like a demotion, but to the upper echelons, it was a gesture of goodwill to the old military."

When the Banfield family passed to Liam, the core military personnel were replaced over the next few decades.

She understood that some of the military personnel didn't find this amusing.

However, it seemed that Claudia couldn't accept it.

She still thought they should have been discharged.

"I couldn't forgive them."

"Why? They worked hard---"

"While the child was walking the path of a demon, they were sulking about being sidelined, the incompetent ones, right?"

Claudia told a story about how she had cried when she heard about Liam's childhood.

"He might seem like a hero to you, but he never once called himself one. Do you know that he was given his title and land by his parents and abandoned by Hydra when he was five?"

Emma knew that Liam had inherited his title and land at the age of five.

But she had never thought about it deeply because it seemed so natural.

Liam, who had been treated as a good ruler since childhood.

Many thought he was given the title because of his talent.

"The Hydra of that time was in a terrible state. The military was useless, and most officials considered bribery and embezzlement as a matter of course. In such a situation, the only ones he could rely on were those around him. ---Can you understand how much he suffered?"

When she was told about Liam's situation again, Emma couldn't answer.

Would she have been able to achieve the same results in that situation?

Claudia explained why she disliked Merea's unit.

"During the reforms, many fools tried to make him a target. Some of the old military personnel even planned a coup."

"Eh?"

Emma was shocked by the fact she didn't know.

Claudia continued with the story.

"They were fools who prioritized personal gain over the happiness of the people. Merea's group might be relatively normal, but to us, they are sulking children. ---Have you ever thought about what it means for a child of just ten to kill someone with his own hands?"

Claudia's gaze questioned Emma, who had killed someone for the first time.

Having experienced killing, Emma could finally understand the true meaning.

"---Ah."

But, no words came out.

She realized that she hadn't seen the person she admired.

"He publicly calls himself a villain because he is prepared to become one to make his territory flourish and protect his people. The old military personnel talk about being discarded, but it's laughable. They can live as soldiers thanks to his kindness, yet they believe they have been discarded."

When Emma couldn't answer, Claudia tried to control her excited emotions.

"---He chose a difficult path for the sake of justice. If you aim for justice, at least know his resolve."

Emma looked down and whispered, "Yes," in a weak voice.

Claudia stood up and placed her hand on Emma's shoulder.

"Without you, we would have died. I won't tell you not to worry, but remember that you saved lives too."

"---Yes."

Claudia didn't blame Emma, who was crying.

She spoke kindly to her.

"We have been ordered to return to the home planet. We will all return to Hydra. ---At that time, I will reassess you. It was my mistake not to recognize your talent. If you have any requests for your assignment, let me know. That's all."

When the conversation ended, Emma tried to leave and noticed a doll by the bed in the corner of the room.

"---Ah."

Claudia, who had forgotten to hide the doll, turned red to her ears and approached Emma with a blank expression.

"---You didn't see anything. Got it?"

"Eh? That"

"You didn't see anything. Got it?"

Bringing a doll to bed was something unimaginable from the usual Claudia.

However, Emma recognized the doll.

"It's a Liam doll, right?"

"---Y, yes."

"I have one too!"

Saying that she had one too, Emma tried to show an image on her terminal, but Claudia crossed her arms.

"Don't be ridiculous. This is a rare item sold only in the mansion's store and not available to the public. Lord Liam is very strict about products that resemble him and doesn't easily give permission. This doll is one of the few allowed for sale within the mansion---"

"Ah, this is it!"

When Emma showed the image, Claudia was surprised and then stared at it intently.

"Where did you get this!?"

Claudia was surprised because the image showed the same Liam doll as hers---a deformed, mischievous-looking doll with a bad expression.

Moreover, it had a signature.

While Claudia was trembling, Emma, unaware, explained how she got it.

"I got it from an old man I know. I don't know whose signature it is, but it looks like graffiti. It won't come off, so I'm having trouble with it."

The signature, which looked like a scribble, was unidentifiable.

Scratching her head and laughing, Emma was grabbed by the shoulders by Claudia.

And with considerable force, too.

"It hurts. It hurts, Colonel!?"

"Lieutenant Emma Rodman. You are lucky. Let me give you some advice. Don't erase that signature. You'll regret it."

"Eh? Ah, yes."

"---That's all."

Emma looked curiously at the dejected Claudia.

Thus, the conversation between Emma and Claudia ended.

Liam (；・∀・) "These guys are always misunderstanding and don't understand me at all."

Amagi ( ・∀・) "By the way, the Liam dolls were made by the mass-produced maid robots. It seems that even Lord Liam had to give permission for this."

Liam (・∀・) "I had to allow it because the mass-produced maid robots made it. It would be cruel to refuse. The signature was written reluctantly at Brian's request. ---By the way, where is Brian's talking bonsai? I came to see it."

Emma ( ；∀；) "He left on a promotional tour, leaving a note that says, 'The 9th volume of 'The World of Dating Sims is Harsh for the Extras' will be released on November 30.'"

Amagi (・д・) "---He ran away."