“I don’t know if you’re fearless or just plain insane. Hahaha!”
Marshal Imperium laughed.
Despite his laughter, the generals did not join in. The air in the audience chamber only grew colder.
“Phew. This place has terrible hospitality. Pressuring a civilian like me with Force.”
“You fought quite well for a civilian.”
“I think that one-eyed fellow over there is just a weakling.”
At my words, Sagitta’s hair stood on end. His entire body trembled.
‘He must know what kind of report I sent to Humildas.’
It was only natural to plant spies in a nation one intended to go to war with. Many people had seen my report. It wouldn’t have been difficult for them to find out.
‘If I were him, I’d be embarrassed too.’
In the end, he had fought well. However, according to the report, he had only won through the opponent’s stupidity and sheer luck.
“More importantly, I came all this way. Shouldn’t you offer me at least one drink? My throat is parched. Absolutely parched.”
I shifted from sitting cross-legged to propping up one leg, making myself comfortable. The Force pouring from the surroundings made it difficult to breathe.
“Such an insolent brat.”
“The behavior of this so-called envoy is…”
“We must beat him and throw him out immediately!”
“We should kill him even if he is an envoy. Otherwise, the honor of our Marshal’s Office will be…”
The surroundings grew noisy. Imperium raised a hand to silence them.
“Do you think I want to be like this? You guys are being too much.”
I scanned the room as if complaining. At the same time, I tapped my leg pointedly for them to see.
“You people are blasting Force at a weak civilian, so my legs are too shaky to stand. I suppose uneducated fellows simply can’t help themselves.”
I was a noble from a prestigious family. However, Marshal Imperium’s generals were chosen for their ability rather than their reputation. Some came from humble families or were commoners. Even Marshal Imperium himself was the adopted son of a eunuch.
“Everyone, withdraw your Force.”
Marshal Imperium’s eyebrows twitched. As if it had never happened, the air became comfortable again.
*Swish!*
He raised his hand. When an aide approached, he gave an instruction.
A moment later.
*Clatter!*
A small table with alcohol was placed in front of me.
“Understand our rudeness. Everyone is quite angry. It’s a meager spread since it was prepared in haste, but please, help yourself.”
“Well, I have to eat what I’m given. Do I even have the power to complain?”
I downed a glass in one go. No matter how cunning Imperium was, he wouldn’t have spiked it with poison. If he did something like that, it would be difficult for him to recruit talent in the future.
“Oh…”
The food was decent. The alcohol was also quite high-quality.
“Right. Now, let us get to the point. What are the terms of the negotiation?”
“Withdraw your troops to the second line. A twenty-day truce.”
At my words, everyone fell silent. Imperium contemplated.
“That is impossible! I will grant five days.”
“Ten days. Let’s be blunt, reorganization alone will take five days. How is that any different from saying you’ll attack immediately?”
I spoke while chewing on a snack without even swallowing it.
*Splatter!*
Bits of food sprayed onto the floor. Imperium’s eyebrow rose slightly. He was a germaphobe.
“Fine. As you say, we shall make it ten days.”
“A wise decision. Oops.”
I used my crowbar as a cane and stood up from my seat.
“Will you not have more?”
“I’m done. I’m not some monkey in a zoo. I’ll go back to my ship and eat in peace.”
I wrote “10 days” on the two pieces of parchment I had prepared. Then, I handed them to the Chihuahua. After Imperium signed them, he handed one back to me.
*Slide!*
I rolled up the parchment and tucked it into my clothes.
“By the way, do you know why you are able to leave here alive despite kidnapping my favorite mistress?”
“I wouldn’t know.”
I shrugged my shoulders.
“Yinglun’s appearance was not good.”
The fact that she had been neglected while locked in a cage must have given him confidence. If Yinglun had been treated well, that paranoid man would have surely suspected a relationship between her and me. Moreover, wasn’t I the greatest libertine in Sector Sixteen?
“Ah. She’s not really my type.”
“Indeed. You are a notorious philanderer, so you might be bored of someone who is just ordinarily pretty. That is why libertines seek out the exotic.”
He was giving a long-winded explanation for why I was a pervert. And why was Yinglun only “ordinarily pretty”? It was unfair, but for the sake of my safety, I decided to just be a pervert.
“Thank you for the compliment. I will send the Lady back as soon as the troops are withdrawn.”
“I shall take you at your word.”
I gave a curt nod and left the Great Hall. A famous quote from that man, who was known for being a hunter of married women, came to mind.
— Even if I embrace every woman in the world, no other man can embrace my woman!
Just as those words implied, he never forgave anyone who touched his women. And while he would recruit talent even if they had broken personalities, he loathed libertines. Is this what they call “like hating like”?
“Master Park Yu. How do you plan to handle the aftermath?”
As I headed toward the shuttle, Imperium’s strategist, the Chihuahua, asked.
“Handle it? Why should I?!”
The corners of my mouth curled up. I was going to leave as soon as this war ended anyway. I wouldn’t have to see them again for a long time.
“Oh, by the way, I’m thinking of putting our territory up for sale. If you’re interested, let me know.”
“The Lucifell Holy Region? We can just take it, so I see no reason to pay for it.”
“Who knows what will happen in the world? Contact me quickly. For your information, it’s cheapest right now.”
I waved at the Chihuahua and boarded the shuttle. The Chihuahua bared his teeth and glared at me until the very end.
Weren’t Chihuahuas the ones who never held back? Ah, that’s a Maltese. Good thing he wasn’t a Maltese.
***
Marshal Imperium withdrew beyond the second line as promised. He did so because he was confident.
The Humildas side also sent Yinglun back as promised.
“Marshal!”
Yinglun ran toward him, but Imperium stepped back.
“Ugh!”
Imperium, who was extremely sensitive to smell, held his nose.
“Wife. It would be best if you bathed first.”
“Ah! My apologies.”
Yinglun was moved to a hospital ship in the rear for a brief examination. She had been locked in a cramped cage for a long time.
“This is a joyous occasion!!”
The captain of the hospital ship beamed with a wide smile. Yinglun had finally conceived.
Yinglun possessed Force as pure as her beautiful appearance. Because of that, conceiving had not been easy despite their efforts. The child born from her would be a great source of strength for Marshal Imperium. In particular, it was highly likely to generate positive public opinion among the people.
“Captain! Is it true that Lady Yinglun has conceived?!”
An embedded reporter on the hospital ship asked.
“Hahaha. Indeed it is.”
“Could we perhaps get a portrait?”
“Ordinarily, it is confidential information, but…”
“Public sentiment in Sector Nine is not good right now. The first young master is weak, and the second young master died after living a profligate life. The people are pinning great hopes on Lady Yinglun.”
“It is still early in the pregnancy, so data analysis is difficult on the hospital ship.”
“Our newspaper has experts in every field. Please, leave it to us.”
There was technology to draw a montage of an unborn child through Force and genetic testing. The accuracy was surprisingly high. This required computer simulations, but on ships composed of dark matter, high-performance computers could not be used due to quantum tunneling.
“I shall contact the Marshal.”
A short while later, permission came from Marshal Imperium.
— Hahaha. It was a good thing I made time to spend the night with her just before departing for battle. I have a good feeling about this war.
— Congratulations, Marshal.
— What is the probability that it is not my child?
— Almost zero.
The size of the embryo perfectly matched the timing of their night together. There were occasionally unusual cases, but there was no need to dampen the mood by mentioning them.
The hospital ship captain handed a sealed chip to the reporter.
“I heard your newspaper is national.”
“That is correct. We even have a branch within Sector Sixteen.”
“Get the portrait out as quickly as possible. Preferably before the start of hostilities. The Marshal is waiting.”
“You do not need to worry about that. Our newspaper’s high-speed ships are famous for their speed.”
The reporter said, puffing out his chest. He looked full of pride.
***
A branch of a national newspaper on a certain colony.
This was the territory of Marshal Humildas’s Office. Despite that, the reporter’s passage was not perfectly restricted. Such was the power of a national newspaper.
“Please gather the experts quickly.”
Since that business office was closer to a local branch than a main headquarters, they rounded up experts from surrounding colonies. Because it was a joyous occasion, the information was not suppressed. That was the reason Marshal Humildas’s Office just left them alone.
“This is an opportunity to show the capabilities of our newspaper! Gather as many of our reporters as possible. We must transport this quickly to every corner of the galaxy.”
Marshal Imperium garnered a lot of national interest. Even small pieces of gossip would become massive hits. It had reached the point where even what he enjoyed eating became a topic of conversation.
— Even in the midst of war, flowers bloom.
The reporters thought of good phrases in their heads.
“Everyone, stand by!”
The reporters waited for the results in a large hall. A massive screen floated in front of them.
“Now, now! Fellow reporters. The information will be delivered through your terminals along with the announcement of the results. You just need to spread the distributed information to your designated sectors.”
Everyone’s eyes sparkled.
“Three seconds before the announcement. Two seconds. One!!!”
*Beep!*
A montage appeared on the giant screen. However, the results were completely different from what had been expected.
*Murmur, murmur!*
The reporters were flustered.
“This… This is a scoop!!!”
Every reporter began running toward their high-speed ships like track athletes.
“Wait… Everyone, please stop!!!”
The embedded reporter who had brought this news shouted in panic, but…
*Zoom!*
They had already rushed out like an ebbing tide.
“Fuck. I’m screwed…”
The embedded reporter wore a hollow expression. Other reporters might be fine, but the region he was responsible for was Sector Nine. It seemed he would have to transfer his post. Even as a reporter, his life was in danger.
“Should I change jobs…?”
Behind him, on the giant screen, a human male with black hair and navy-blue eyes was smiling.
***
“Extra! Extra!”
Not only digital newspapers but also paper newspapers sold like hotcakes. Even ordinary citizens who weren’t interested in politics or world affairs bought the expensive galactic newspapers to see.
The content was just that shocking.
***
The place where it spread the fastest was…
“Bwahahaha! That bastard Imperium. Serves him right!!”
Naturally, it was Marshal Humildas’s Office. This was because the branch of the national newspaper was located in Marshal Humildas’s territory.
“As expected of Park Yu. It’s Park Yu through and through!!!”
“That guy is a hell of a philanderer regardless.”
“Her Force purity was considerable, yet he knocked her up in one go. He really is something else.”
“He truly lives up to his reputation as the greatest libertine in our sector.”
The morale of Marshal Humildas’s Office soared. They had landed a perfect blow to Marshal Imperium’s pride.
***
The next place to receive the news was…
“Aaaaah! I’m going to kill him. Park Yuuuu!!”
Marshal Imperium began smashing the objects around him. It was something he, a germaphobe, absolutely never did. This was the first time in his life he had ever been this angry. His subordinates held their breath.
“Behead that damn hospital ship captain immediately!”
“Understood, Marshal!”
***
I headed toward the Lucifell Holy Region with a bright smile.
“It’s going according to plan! It’s going according to plan! Chicky, let’s eat. Hehe.”
I smiled contentedly as I funneled Force into Chicky. For some reason, everyone seemed to be avoiding my gaze.
“Commander! I think you should take a look at this.”
The first mate tossed an article to me with a serious face. I touched it, wondering if something interesting had happened.
“Wh… What?!”
The content of the newspaper was shocking.
“Who would spread such fake news?!”
— The Empire’s Greatest Libertine, Park Yu, Impregnates Marshal Imperium’s Woman.
I hurriedly accessed the communication network of the star system we were currently moving through.
└ Park Yu, moving beyond Sector 16 into the galaxy—
└ As expected! Big Brother Park Yu. I believed in you.
└ Yeah. If you’re a man, you should be at least this much.
└ Respect!
└ I support you.
└ Park Yu fan club recruiting (1/1,000,000 people)
Perhaps because it was during a war, the people’s reaction was explosive. It seemed they were delighted that the enemy’s leader had been toyed with.
“What is this…!”
Support from ordinary citizens? Good. National recognition? Notoriety is better than being unknown. And this didn’t even count as notoriety. Rather, it fell under a good reputation since it was a way of mocking the enemy.
However.
I couldn’t understand the situation at all. Looking over the article, it had been published by a reputable newspaper. Looking further, it wasn’t fake news either.
“Wow! When did the Commander touch her? Was there even time for that?”
“As expected of our young master!”
“Yeah. I thought something was strange no matter how much I thought about it.”
“This is more like our Commander…”
Even my subordinates were convinced. What was unfair was that these guys had even seen me isolating Yinglun separately. If the people on the same ship believed it so firmly, how could others be any different?
“Co… Could it be!!”
Suddenly, a game setting flashed through my mind.
Regarding the reproduction of Imugi.
An Imugi could transform into other races. If they had a relationship with a pregnant woman while transformed? The Imugi’s sperm would consume the fetus and take its place.
Afterward, the child would grow while hiding its true identity.
Of course, most died during the growth process. What happened to the children who survived? They became wild Imugi.
Naturally, if they reproduced in their original Imugi form, they would just lay eggs normally. In that case, there was a high possibility they would be born as dragons depending on their efforts. That was why Dal-rip cherished his daughter so much.
“This is driving me crazy.”
There was only one person capable of such a thing.
“Dal-rip! That piece of trash…!”
I thought it was strange when he handed Yinglun over so submissively. I had a brilliant strategist, but I hadn’t considered him. He was someone who never listened to orders.
Receiving Yinglun was definitely a gain for me. Thanks to that, the Lucifell Holy Region became independent, and I gained two more holy regions. I thought it would be good to sell her back to Marshal Imperium, but…
“I’m screwed.”
Marshal Imperium was a pragmatist, but even he had lines that shouldn’t be crossed. He even had a famous quote.
— Even if I embrace every woman in the world, no other man can embrace my woman!
My beautiful exit strategy had gone up in flames. The relationship between me and Imperium had evolved beyond hostility and into pure hatred. This relationship would only end when one of us died.