v9c17 – Epilogue

AN (2020/12/31):
This year’s posts have been completed.
It’s a coincidence that the 9th volume’s epilogue landed on the 31st, but it’s nice that I could post everything within the year.

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“Liam-dono―― Do you dislike Rosetta-dono?”

“I-It’s not like that.”

Only Master and I are still in the room.

I had the others leave since he said that he wanted to have a personal conversation with me.

Then, what he questioned was my feelings towards Rosetta.

“If that’s the case, then why aren’t you getting married to her?”

“That is, well, she was to my liking before, but it’s different now or rather―― I think she’s a kind woman who worries over me, but there’s just no deciding factor, or something.”

Master folds his arms and nods, perhaps in understanding.

“Certainly, it probably feels a little heavy, but that in itself is fine. Liam-dono, once you get married as well, you’ll realize its merits.”

I don’t feel like we’re talking on the same wavelength, but I can’t say something like ‘I liked how Rosetta looked when she was enduring being pestered by me back then, but it’s different now after she became docile’ to Master. 

I contemplate.

I wonder if I honestly want to get married to Rosetta?

As I think about it further, the faces of women that come to mind besides Rosetta are few.

There’s many beautiful women at the mansion, but the ones that appear in my mind starting from Amagi are Ellen, Riho, and Fuuka―― even Serena’s face appears among the others.

I got shocked at myself when an old woman with little relation to me came to mind, even though I was thinking about womanizing.

I’m contemplating women, and yet there were so few that even Kurt’s face appeared.

You’re a guy. You’re in a different category so get over there already.

Tia and Marie’s faces come up, but these two are special cases.

Nias and Eulisia are of the disappointing bracket, besides.

Chino? Ciel? They’re in the cute bracket, so I’m not conscious of them as women.

But when I think of Rosetta, her smiling face comes to mind.

“Master―― Is it alright to get married to Rosetta like this?”

As I utter so, looking like I’d gotten the marriage blues or something, Master shows a smile.

“We all have our insecurities.”

“My reasons for marrying her aren’t pure. Even so, is that alright?”

I couldn’t tell him about my impure motive of wanting to marry a reluctant Rosetta, but Master looks like he’s sensed something.

“Were you targeting her court rank? The nobility have various things to consider, it seems. Does Liam-dono dislike Rosetta-dono, I wonder?”

I don’t dislike her. No, she’s better than other women, isn’t she.

It’s just that I’ve decided to put it on hold until now, in fear that I might be betrayed someday.

“I’m scared of facing her.”

“If that’s the case, then it’s all the more important to face her. Where has the Liam who challenges even the strongest enemies disappeared to? Liam-dono is too much of a late bloomer when it comes to matters of affection, it seems.”

I didn’t even think I would be talking about love with Master.

My face grows warm in embarrassment.

Master speaks.

“It’s better to give an intense confession. You should marry not for the sake of your partner, but for your own. ‘Quiet down and come with me!’ That’ll be perfect, won’t it.”

“――Huh? C, confess?”

“Smash her with all of your feelings, Liam-dono!”

◇

After being told so by Master, I called Rosetta to my bedroom.

I wait for her nervously.

“C-calm down, me. I’m the foremost evil lord of the Empire. I won’t get flustered at just one woman. I’ll just confess like an evil lord would. ――What exactly is an evil lord-like confession?”

What is an evil lord-like confession even? My junior colleagues familiar with anime and manga back then never taught me something like that.

Looking over the restless me is Amagi.

“Please calm down.”

“I-I am calm! I just wanted to walk around.”

“Is that so. Then, with this I’ll be taking my leave.”

Amagi moves to exit the room before Rosetta arrives.

“O-oi, there’s no need for you to leave, is there!?”

“At any rate, Young Master is confessing to his fiancee. I think I would be a hindrance, though?”

“I don’t need any woman who treats you as a hindrance.”

Amagi makes a complicated expression at my words.

She seems altogether delighted, disappointed, and exasperated.

“Young Master.”

“What is it?”

“Do you dislike Rosetta-sama?”

“――I don’t dislike her. If I could only choose from humans, then I like her.”

“Even so, it doesn’t matter for now. Please, make Rosetta-sama happy.”

As Amagi leaves the room, Rosetta comes in after, passing by her for an instant.

“U-umm, Darling?”

Rosetta stands in front of the door looking at me with an anxious expression. 

It’s already been around a century’s worth of time since my previous life and my betrayal then.

I start to feel ashamed of myself for being fettered for so long by my ex-wife.

“We’ll get married once we return, you know. I want the Claudia house’s court rank, your family home’s.”

“I-I thought so. Darling’s dear Master said as much, too. Yes, I’ll approve! In addition――”

Being told that I wanted the court rank, Rosetta makes a smile tinged with sadness.

My decision to get married was also entirely because of Master’s words.

It’s unavoidable that she feels discomfort at that and yet.… For that, Rosetta is admirable.

“――The position of Duke is entirely appropriate for Darling. If that’s how it’s going to be, both myself and okaa-sama will be happy.”

“That’s right. Your count rank will be stolen by me.”

Rosetta casts her eyes downwards, perhaps unable to say anything more.

She’s probably saddened knowing that there’s no love in a political marriage befitting nobles.

And then, as the silence stretches out, Rosetta’s the one who speaks first in a strained voice.

“Even so, that is fine. Even if your interest is only in my court rank, with Darling I will――”

I cut in with a raised voice, gazing at the wall of monitors displaying the vast empty void of space around us.

“I’m a greedy person! I won’t be satisfied until I’ve obtained everything!”

“Darling?”

“I’ll take everything. The Claudias’ court rank! And you, too! ――D, don’t think you’ll be able to run away. Y-you will forever――be mine.”

I ended up saying the last bit in a small voice. Yet, Rosetta sobs, stifling her lips with her hands.

“I won’t run away! I’ll absolutely never run away. I’ll forever be at your side.”

Turning around, I step up to the crying Rosetta.

T-that should have been a splendid confession as an evil lord.

――Probably.

◇

Yasushi has a refreshed smile after parting ways with Liam.

He walks with a tipsy feeling, like he had gone off drinking somewhere.

“Whew~, that was fun.”

Getting to know about Liam actually being a late bloomer, he put on airs of a senior and instructed him in love.

He’d gotten into the mood and said various things, but everything was in the spirit of the occasion.

He could even drink alcohol for free while at it, so to Yasushi, it was perfect.

As Yasushi walks along the corridor in a good mood, he sees Ciel running at him.

“Ciel-dono! Thanks for seeing my revenge―― Gahah!?”

Ciel jumps at Yasushi and shakes him violently by the collar.

“That’s wrong! Why did you go and do something unnecessary! Once they go back and get married, it’ll normally just wrap up like that won’t it! Of all things, why did you make him decide to get married!”

“Huh!? Why!? Didn’t you mean to pester him at an acceptable level!”

Even if it’s a form of harassment for Yasushi, to the Banfield house―― To Liam, it’s an auspicious event unlike any other.

“Rosetta-sama too, was somehow oblivious-looking after returning from Liam’s room! What are you going to do if they finalize their marriage like that!”

“What did you expect from me!? Did you think I could do something extravagant!? It’s me, you know!?”

“Making Liam rehabilitate himself or something, there must have been various things!”

At Ciel’s unreasonable request, Yasushi retorts.

“Like I could do something like thaaaaat!!”

Yasushi is going through hardship exactly because he can’t, and he’ll be going through hardship from now on, too.

Ciel is teary eyed.

“Even though you gave off the air of being capable! This traitoooor!!”

◇

At a different place, on the planet Governor Chester had been working in.

A tiny octopus is crawling along the ground.

“D-don’t mess with me. This me will…”

Gudwar, who’s become tiny and is speaking with a cute childlike voice, is wandering about in search of negative emotions.

In order to regain the strength he’s lost, he’s roaming around in search of those.

“‘God of Gold’―― if not for the use of that sword, I wouldn’t have been reduced to such a sorry state. This too is completely that guy’s fault.”

Gudwar, crawling around, hears footsteps getting closer to him.

It’s the Guide with wine bottle and glass in hand.

The liquid inside the wine bottle is made from the negative feelings of those who lost their lives in the battle on this planet and in the space battle above it moments ago.

The concentrated resentment, pain, and hatred have coalesced into a liquid.

Gudwar extends a leg.

“Hand that over! It’s because of you that I―― Gugyah!?”

The Guide stomps on Gudwar as he pours the wine into his glass.

Black smoke drifts from the liquid inside like steam.

Drinking that, the Guide looks down at Gudwar.

“Having gone to great pains to gather this, there’s no way I can hand it over, right? Gudwar, thanks to you Liam has become even stronger. ――This useless creature!”

Drinking up everything in the glass, he chucks it and starts draining the bottle directly from the mouth.

Then, he discards even that―― seizing Gudwar and raising him up, opening his mouth wide.

“W, what are you doing!?”

The Guide tosses the panicking Gudwar in just like that―― chewing and gulping down.

“Hmm~, reeks of blood. But, with this my power is coming back.”

Black smoke appears from the Guide’s body, wavering in the air.

He’s regained his strength after eating Gudwar.

“Liam! This time I won’t be mistaken. With these hands you will――”

The one holding itself back behind such a Guide was―― the dog.

It glares at him while holding down a growl, but suddenly, it startles in shock and turns around.

The air splits itself open, and the enormous giant of light wearing a warrior mask peeks in at the Guide from that tear in the sky.

The cackling Guide turns around at the disquieting atmosphere.

“Haahahaha! ――Haah!?”

By the time the Guide realized, the giant of light wrenching open the tear is already clutching something in its right hand.

It moves to hand it to the Guide.

Seeing it, the Guide bursts into cold sweat.

“Y, you, that’s―― Hiiiih!!”

Dropping all appearances to run, the Guide dashes up in the empty air as if there was a staircase, escaping towards outer space.

But, the giant of light grabs him with an extended left hand.

That left hand is a deadly poison to the Guide.

Furthermore, he’s assaulted with a feeling like being grabbed by a red-hot metal hand.

“Gyaaah!! I’m burniiiing!!”

Just that alone is excruciating and yet, the giant moves to forcibly press the ball of light in its right hand―― Liam’s feelings of gratitude, into the Guide.

Transcending space―― It seems like the giant of light is delivering those feelings of gratitude.

The feelings of gratitude are being conveyed in a slightly more forceful manner than usual.

He doesn’t know what caused it, but in it, there seems to be some complicated feelings towards the Guide.

But, it’s unmistakable that it’s feelings of gratitude.

Liam’s feelings of gratitude―― which is exactly what the Guide hates.

“W-wait. Wait! You can’t do thaaaat!!”

Intuitively sensing that he’ll be killed multiple times over if he were to receive that directly, he discards his body, the hat portion coming off.

Taking in the feelings of gratitude, the body shrieks while disappearing.

“Igyaaaahawaaaah!”

Turning charred, the Guide’s body disappears into the ball of gratitude like that without leaving a single speck of ash.

His actual body, the hat, spits fire like a rocket after detaching, running away into outer space.

“If I can just survive with my actual body!”

However, the giant of light is looking at him from the rent in the air.

“Hiiiih!! He’s noticed meeeee!?”

Seeing off the flying Guide, the giant of light disappears.

The dog tilts its head, then sits down on the spot after running in circles for a bit, looking upwards at the Guide.

The Guide screams something as he heads towards space.

“I’ll never ever give up, you heaaaar!! Liam, don’t think it’ll end like thiiiiiiis!!”

Doing that, the Guide’s figure becomes a glittering point, then disappears.

---

Bryan (´；ω；｀) “Liam-sama has finally! Finally! This Bryan is so happy, my tears won’t―― my teaaaars!!”

Sapling-chan ( ゜∀゜) “Did you think I wouldn’t revive? Too bad! I’ve developed a resistance! I’ll do the promotion while Painyan-san is bawling! ‘The World of Otome Games is Tough for Mobs, vol. 7’ is going on sale on Jan 30! Starting next month we’ll be promoting MobuSeka with all our strength!”

Bryan (´・ω・｀) “……”

Bryan (´・ω・｀)ノシ “Our dear readers, with this, this year’s posts have finished. Did you enjoy reading about Liam-sama’s activities? Well then, I’ll be praying that everyone has a great New Year.”

Sapling-chan ( ゜∀゜)ノシ “To a great New Year!”

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Author’s Afterword on Syosetu:

※ With this the updates have finished.
The next update isn’t fixed yet (^_^;
It depends on the scheduling of the print edition, but I think I’ll be posting before they go on sale again.
To begin with, there isn’t time to write until just about before the print edition goes on sale.
I do hope for your understanding.

Well then, how was the ninth volume? Please go ahead and review freely.
I wait in anticipation for your reviews.

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v9c16 | TOC | v10c1