Chapter 143 – Vol. 9 Chapter 1 – Yasushi’s Realization

—He was in big, big trouble.

A small lie he’d told had grown beyond the point of his control, and before he knew it, he had been bestowed the title of Sword God.

This man, [Yasushi], was currently living in a small room in a cheap apartment building with his family of three.

He had fled from the planet he was living on with his family to a planet that was much more remote.

“—What a nightmare,” Yasushi muttered as he stared at the small amount of food that was on the table.

His wife frowned at his words, thinking he was complaining about the food.

“You should be grateful that there’s something to eat! Who do you think is feeding this family?”

“Hyii—!! Y-you’ve misunderstood. I wasn’t talking about the food, but rather the situation we’ve been forced into.”

His wife let out a small sigh at her husband’s timid behavior.

A young boy clung to the woman, and pleaded, “Mom, I’m still hungry.”

“I’m sorry. Mom will be paid from her part time job soon, so be patient until then, m’kay?”

Yasushi’s wife, Nina, had long, smooth, black hair.

She was a graceful woman that wore glasses, and she used to work a full-time job so that she could feed both Yasushi and their child.

However, after relocating to the new planet, she has yet to find a stable job.

They had to use her savings to emigrate, and they were barely scraping by with what was left of it.

She was now working a number of part time jobs, but the pay was low and their lives were becoming difficult.

Nina gave Yasushi a glare.

“Why did you choose here of all places? The planet’s in such a remote location that it’s not properly developed, not to mention there’s no work to find because of the recent recession, and it’s not like the heavy tax that are imposed on us is making life any easier.”

They had to move to such a rundown planet because of Yasushi.

“T-there was no other option! If we had gone to a developed planet, I would’ve been discovered!”

It was all Liam’s fault that they had to emigrate to this horrible planet.

A certain video was being played on the electronic newspaper that was placed atop the table.

The video was about the official announcement from the Gudwar Kingdom of Dominion.

‘We are planning on welcoming Yasushi of the School of One-Flash to serve as the sword instructor at our Royal Palace! Those that can provide information regarding his whereabouts will be given a handsome reward! Find Yasushi at all cost!’

A little while ago, Liam had defeated Izel, who used to be the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Dominion.

It was through this occasion that the School of One-Flash became well known throughout the kingdom.

As the Kingdom of Dominion was a country where might made right, everyone was excited over the existence of a powerful school of swordsmanship that they’d never heard of before.

They couldn’t poach Liam, but what about his master Yasushi? That was when the gears started to turn.

To make things worse, the other countries joined in the search. They’d say, “It’s the Kingdom of Dominion we’re talking about. If they’re looking for him, he must be the real deal.”

Countless countries and aristocrats were requesting his service in exchange for favorable treatments, but just as many people were after his life, wanting to prove their strength and make a name for themselves.

“This is all his fault. It’s—it’s all because of him!”

Liam was an aristocrat of the Algrand Empire.

He was a lord, who was a part of a powerful country.

Rather than Liam, wouldn’t it be easier to deal with Yasushi?

That was the conclusion that everyone came to, and the reason why they were searching for Yasushi with bloodshot eyes.

Nina looked coldly at him as she continued to accompany their child.

“I find it hard to believe. Yasu-kun was the Master to an Imperial aristocrat?”

Yasushi was a street performer— an entertainer.

One-Flash, the swordsmanship that he’d taught Liam, was a lie that he came up with.

He had taught Liam swordsmanship in a fraudulent manner, but somehow a monster was born as a result.

Following that, he raised two disciples to act as his assassins, and they also grew up to be monsters in their own right.

Even though Yasushi himself was weak, he had ended up raising three monsters.

“I’m in disbelief as well! I don’t even know where the disciples I sent to assassinate Liam have gone! I’m sick and tired of this!”

Yasushi was hiding on this remote planet to prevent assassins and Liam from finding him.

No one would think I’m on such a planet! —that was his thought process.

But now that they were here, he was starting to have second thoughts.

“—Man, it’s tough living here.”

Nina gave a sharp reply that hinted at her disapproval towards Yasushi.

“Then why don’t you find work for yourself as well?”

“Huh?! I-I mean… I’m sorry.”

He had tried to work some part time jobs, but they never lasted.

The reason for that was the tax.

People would only receive around 30% of their pay after a day of work as the rest would go towards paying the tax.

It was no wonder he didn’t feel motivated to work.

Hourly wages of part time jobs were miserably low, yet they would be given all sorts of things to do.

“If I’d known things would turn out this way, I wouldn’t have suggested running away. This is all because of Liam as well. None of this would’ve happened if he hadn’t spread the name of One-Flash.”

Having finished her meal, Nina began to clean up the table while Yasushi wallowed in regret.

“Who knew you could teach someone without being skilled yourself? If you’re really that good at teaching, why don’t you just open a dojo? If what you said were true, that is.”

Yasushi raised his head after hearing Nina’s remarks.

“Come again?”

Surprised, Nina explained things to Yasushi.

“Well, assuming you’re really good at teaching, you should run a dojo. Everyone’s talking about the School of One-Flash at the moment, so there should be a lot of people willing to pay good money to learn it, right? I mean, you’ve already raised three disciples, so it’s ought to succeed.”

He had raised Liam, Rinho, and Fuuka, which went to show he had talent for training others.

Although he had technically only taught three people, his success rate so far had been 100%.

Do I, perhaps, have a talent for raising others?

—It was only now that he had come to this realization.

“T-that’s it! If I raise a lot of disciples, they can serve as my bodyguards, and I won’t have to worry about money! No, wait. Wouldn’t that reveal where I am?”

Yasushi thought hard for a moment before coming up with an easy answer.

“I’ll use a pseudonym! I’ll put up a sign saying something along the lines of ‘The Original One-Flash’ and work under a different name! There are a lot of dojos with similar names nowadays, so I’ll just be considered one of them!”

As a martial arts instructor, wouldn’t that hurt his integrity?

Though Nina had some doubts, she was happy to see Yasushi overflowing with motivation.

“Yasu-kun can definitely do it! I’ll help you too!”

“Ou!”

Nina was a competent woman and serious when it came to her work.

The only flaw she had was that she fell for a good-for-nothing like Yasushi.

This was how the Original One-Flash Dojo came into being on a desolate and remote planet.

◇

“Ahhh, eating without needing to work is the best.”

It’s breakfast time, and I’m eating the needlessly luxurious meal that Amagi and Brian have served me.

In front of me is a simple breakfast.

If I were to compare it to my previous life, it’s like having a fried egg, toast, salad, and soup for breakfast.

However, they’re all made of high-quality ingredients carefully selected from the territory.

The omelet, for example, was made with eggs that cost tens of thousands of yen each.

—The yogurt, however, is Brian’s homemade product.

These ingredients are then used by chefs, who were gathered from all over the territory, to make meals for me.

A group of chefs, with similar skills to those working at 3-star Michelin restaurants, cook for me on a daily basis.

It’s like having top level chefs working in cycles at a cafeteria.

It’s truly a breakfast worthy of an evil lord.

Inside the large room where I’m having breakfast, an orchestra is performing a piece that suits the morning mood.

Amagi takes away the plates of food I’ve finished eating and asks about what I said earlier.

“Master, is there something bothering you? Master has been handling the public affairs for days now.”

Even Brian looks at me worriedly.

“Lord Liam, are you perhaps feeling tired from the excessive training that you’ve been doing the past few days? This Brian’s worried for Lord Liam’s health. How about taking a day off from public affairs?”

From their perspective, it must seem like I’ve been hard at work.

But I’m doing all this for myself.

I don’t consider it work since it’s all for my own sake.

“You thought I was working seriously? That was nothing more than child’s play.”

Amagi remains as expressionless as ever, but she seems to have some questions about what I’ve said.

“But Master hasn’t misbehaved recently. In fact, Master’s been managing the territory seriously, have you not?”

“That’s because it’s not the time to be playing around. For now, I’m focused on becoming stronger.”

“—It’s child’s play, but there’s no time to play around? Which is it?”

“I was just saying random things. Don’t dwell on it.”

Watching Amagi seriously contemplate the meaning behind my words makes me feel guilty.

Brian frowns when he hears me refer to work inside the territory as child’s play.

“Lord Liam should prioritize work inside the territory first and foremost. To begin with, there’s no need for Lord Liam to learn swordsmanship.”

Brian admonishes me for devoting so much of my time on training the One-Flash.

The thing is, I’m not someone who changes simply because I’m told to.

“I say nay to that. Besides, I can feel that I’m just a step away from a breakthrough. Though… at the same time, I’m starting to feel my limit.”

Anytime now, I’ll be able to break down this invisible wall, but I’m also starting to feel my limitations.

I don’t know what else I can do now.

Kukuri appears from my shadow as I’m eating yogurt for dessert.

Brian frowns at Kukuri’s appearance.

“Kukuri-dono, Lord Liam is eating.”

“I am aware. However, we’ve been ordered to investigate a certain matter as quickly as possible. Hence, the report on this matter have been deemed top priority. —Lord Liam, please excuse me for disrupting your meal.”

I continue to eat while addressing Kukuri who kneels next to me.

“So, have you finished checking?”

“Yes.”

My hand stops, and I take a break from eating so that I can turn and listen to Kukuri’s report.

“You found Master?”

I had Kukuri investigate the whereabouts of Master.

I was starting to worry about my progress, so I had him find where Master is.

“Where is he? Let’s go meet him straight away.”

Otherwise, I can’t become stronger.

I’m thinking of asking my Master for guidance, but when I hear Kukuri’s response, my excitement turns into anger.

“There are far too many people claiming to be Yasushi-sama of the One-Flash, so we are still in the process of identifying him, but it will take some time due to the lack of manpower.”

Kukuri and his men are exceptional, but there aren’t many of them.

The drawback of having too little men is that they can’t employ human wave tactics.

“I’ll lend you some of my subordinates.”

“They’re already partaking in the investigation. We’re tasked with the final confirmation, but there is too much riffraff, and it will take some time.”

The subordinates that have been dispatched aren’t capable of telling Master apart from a fake.

Kukuri and his men are capable of doing so, but they are lacking in the numbers department.

“—It seems the fakes are getting carried away.”

As I’ve become extremely famous, the number of fakes have swelled up all at once.

They claim to be ‘The True One Flash!’, or ‘The Original One Flash!’, and so on.

Even if I eradicate one of them, another would pop up to take its place, so I’ve left them unattended, but I can’t leave them alone now that they’re getting in the way of my search for Master.

I stand up slowly from my seat.

“Call Tia and Marie.”

Kukuri disappears as if he’s been sucked back into my shadow.

“As you will.”

◇

A beautiful blond woman dressed as a maid flashes a big smile at me.

“Lord Liam, Tia-nyan is honored to be called upon nyan!”

With one foot raised, Tia strikes a cute pose while saying “nyan nyan”.

Next to her, a beauty with purple hair moves her rabbit ears.

“Marie is happy pyon!”

Marie, who’s imitating a rabbit, is also dressed as a maid.

However, their maid outfits have been modified recently.

Tia’s uniform is accompanied by cat ears, a tail, and some other cat-like accessories. While Marie’s uniform is accessorized by rabbit ears, a tail, and some other rabbit-like accessories.

Having discarded their pride, the two join hands and stand cheek-to-cheek, while wearing their pointlessly high quality cosplay costumes. [1]

“Lord Liam’s maid, Tia, has come to answer the call nyan!”

“Lord Liam’s maid, Marie, has come to answer the call pyon!”

They usually have a habit of being at one another’s throats, but they’re pretending to be close friends because of my orders.

They’re really in sync; they must’ve practiced this many times together.

Next to me, Klaus, my head knight, looks away from his previous superiors that have changed.

It’s no wonder that he’s looking away. The two knights that used to represent the Banfield Family are wearing modified maid outfits and cosplaying as a cat and rabbit.

They were embarrassed about it until a while ago, but they seem to be proud of their appearances now and are striving for even higher heights.

They must have put in quite the bit of effort, but that’s not what matters right now!

“Are you fooling around in front of me?”

The girls panic at my words.

“Eh?! Is there something that’s not to your liking, nyan?”

“Does Lord Liam prefer bunny suits, pyon?!”

I like how they’re trying to cater to my mood, but we need to talk about finding Master.

“You two are henceforth dismissed from your positions as maids. Return to your knightly duties.”

“Eh?”

“B-but why?!”

I was sure they’d be happy to return to their former positions, but they look pale for some reason.

“You don’t want to?”

Tia gives a small nod.

“Yes, I won’t be able to take care of Lord Liam anymore nyan.”

Marie covers her face with her hands.

“It’s better to die now that Lord Liam isn’t going to humiliate me pyon.”

—I really would’ve fired them by now if it wasn’t for their skills.

They’re both capable, but they have such strange characters that it makes me take a step back.

“Stop complaining. Also, enough with the nyans and the pyons! From this moment onwards, you two will be reinstated as knights. Klaus!”

“Y-yes?!”

I tell Klaus about what the two girls will be assigned to do.

“Tia is to be sent to the border that the Empire shares with the Kingdom of Dominion. We’ll leave the situation at the border to her. Although she’s a disappointing woman, she knows how to govern. Send her out with 10,000 ships.”

“Oh, so that’s why I was called back.”

Until now, I had Klaus, my right hand man, taking care of the situation at the border.

I have to say, he’s really good at everything he does.

Klaus looks relieved, but Tia has an imploring look in her eyes.

“Lord Liam will also be coming to the border, right? Right?!”

“Are you stupid? Why would I volunteer to deal with the Kingdom of Dominion? I’m sending you there since I want Klaus back here.”

“H-how could that beeeeeeee!!”

Tia cries with her head down after she was told that she’s the only one who would be sent to the border.

Next on the agenda is Marie.

“Marie, I’ll have you lead a small fleet of elites.”

“Understood, but will I be dispatched somewhere as well?”

Marie’s trembling.

“You’ll be serving as my escort. I’ll be heading out on a trip for a while.”

When she hears this, Marie smiles.

In fact, her smile’s so bright that it’s as if a flower has bloomed.

While looking pleased with herself, she proceeds to assert dominance over Tia, who’s collapsed.

Upon witnessing Marie’s smug expression, Tia grinds her teeth in frustration.

—They’re still cosplaying in their maid uniforms by the way.

Klaus, who’s still in the dark, approaches me.

“Lord Liam? Um, this is my first time hearing about this. What was that about you going on a trip?”

“I’ll be searching for my Master, so I’ll be away for a while. I leave the rest to you, Klaus.”

“—Pardon?”

————————————————————————————————————

Brian (´；ω；｀): “It’s painful. It’s painful to watch as the former head, and vice head, of the knights order shamelessly finish their sentences with pyons and nyans.

Wakagi-chan(；゜д゜): “I’m a bit put off as well. Since Tsurian-san seems preoccupied, I’ll take over the responsibility of promoting the novel… Volume 2 of ‘I’m the Evil Lord of an Intergalactic Empire!’ is scheduled to release on December 25th!”

[1] Like this I assume? https://i.redd.it/zxc9occ8miy31.png