090 Lord's Manual 2: Domain Management 1

The way we think about territory in the Empire is... a little different.

There are three levels: System Lords, Planet Lords (or Satellite Lords), and Domain Lords.

For example, I—Akira—am the System Lord of the Fam System, while the Planet Lord of Fam 5 is Lord Douglas.

I am both the System Lord of the Aqua System and the Planet Lord of Planet Aqua 3, and the Domain Lord of the landmass on Planet Aqua 3 is Lord Aqua.

Even though it’s mine by ownership, there’s always a higher authority above me with the right to claim it.

It’s kind of like a nation and its people—land belongs to the individual citizen, but they must pay taxes to the state.

So even if there are lower-ranking earldoms or viscounties, all domains ultimately belong to me—Akira—the higher-ranking System Lord.

Likewise, every system belongs to the Emperor—only I’ve been granted it as a fief.

I ordered the vassals and stewards beneath me to assemble at the Anoi Fortress and declare their loyalty to me—Akira.

Refusal means rebellion. Their lands will be confiscated. Military suppression is legally justified.

They might as well fight while arriving—no point waiting to be slaughtered. Only the man himself and a tiny guard are permitted entry into the Anoi System.

Break that rule, and they’re marked for immediate destruction. The Anoi Fortress will be on full alert, waiting for them.

Deadline: ten days.

No contact. No excuse. Miss the date, and they’re traitors—fair game for eradication.

War feels inevitable.

Douglas’s fleet numbers around two thousand ships. The real question is how many reinforcements he’s pulling from the industrial satellites of the Tatara System.

If he’s going to rebel, he might as well take everything he can—new ships straight from the docks, no hesitation.

Whether the Aquarius Viscount's fleet of 1,500 ships will respond or not—where the battle will even take place—headache city.

“Another war? Before that, I suppose I should get the Terrans back to Earth.”

I was thinking about checking with the Terrans staying at the Anoi Fortress whether they wanted to return home.

For now, I’d ask the office crew their thoughts—then leave it to the boss.

I stepped out of the Anoi Administrative Office and headed toward the office.

Teleported from the central plaza’s transfer hub to the office’s transfer hub.

Passed through the front entrance of the Kagawa Promotion Anoi Branch—familiar, like home—headed straight for the usual boss’s office.

“Boss, got a minute?”

“Akira? I’m so bored I’m about to die.”

We traded a joke.

I flopped onto the sofa across from the lounge set.

“Actually… this is serious.”

“What’s with the serious face?”

“We can go back to Earth now. What’re you gonna do, President?”

“Me? I’d be grateful if I could keep doing entertainment stuff from the station.”

“Yeah, the others too, right?”

“Yeah.”

President Kamizawa answered me straight, no hesitation.

“Don’t make that face. Come to the station too. No need to run a territory from the Anoi Fortress center, right?”

I must’ve been making a sad expression without realizing it.

“But Anoi Fortress is closest to the operational zone… for rapid response…”

“Hmph. Just pacify it in the next battle. I’ll help.”

“Huh?”

“Well, you’ve still got that debt from the parts I had you supply for my Personal Ship repair. Pay it back with interest.”

“President… thanks.”

“Though, I’ll send the crew and manager back. I’ll handle the battlefield myself.”

Lost both parents, got shunned by the world, sister always bailing out to hustle cash—so I was just… alone.

Never met someone like the boss, who doesn’t build walls between people.

All the crew’s connections, all the relationships—they only existed because of the boss.

So I see the boss as the one who pulled me out of my lonely little world.

That’s why I helped with the pocket battleship repairs without even thinking about the salvage profit. Didn’t even see it as a loan.

And now he says he’ll fight alongside me, risking his life?

“I still got idol contract obligations, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. When we get back to Earth, you’re working for me.”

“Understood.”

“Hey—! We’re not leaving yet, you know?”

Saya wraps her arms around me from behind.

“Saya, why? You don’t have to pretend to be my wife anymore, right?”

"No, I'm serious about being your wife! Anyway, I heard there's an ocean resort planet. Let’s go have some fun—!"

"Only if you’ve secured the territory. Anyway, are you really still serious about this… stuff like that?"

"Akira, you don’t even realize how valuable you are. I’m serious, okay? ♡"

"Sure, sure, I get it."

"Ugh, I’m not serious!"

"Anyway, enough with the jokes—what’s everyone else doing?"

I ask the group, now gathered all at once, about what they plan to do next.

"Keep playing the wife."

"Since the boss isn’t going back to Earth, there’s no way I can keep doing entertainment work. So staying here is the only choice."

"Naho doesn’t want to be separated from the boss."

"Hey, Saya! That’s not what I meant at all!?"

"I’m still in debt to Akira, so I’m staying until it’s paid off. And I can still buy back the contract, right?"

"Yeah, that’s right. There was a debt. The buyback’s supposed to keep the SFO system intact. Apparently, parts of Earth’s economy still run on resources from the SFO."

I remember when I first got my diamond—wasn’t just denied a buyback. They outright banned taking it off the station.

That’s how the station made its money. Mining valuable rare metals and minerals from asteroids, bringing them down to Earth, selling them off. That’s where the cash for the gamers came from.

So the station controlled and monopolized all transactions.

The buyback denial and the off-station ban? Just to stop gamers from doing their own mining or trading on the sly.

"So, wouldn’t the mercenaries stick around then?"

"Could you ask the boss about that? Just a quick heads-up?"

"Sure thing. We’re all staying, right? Oh, and I’ll make sure the self-proclaimed自治会 gets shipped back—wink wink."

"Please let me go back!!"

Manager Sayaka’s scream was ignored by everyone.

We weren’t letting the only chef escape.

In the end, it was decided that we—along with the mercenaries and a portion of the fleet—would stay behind.

The fleet members knew about other Earthlings being abducted and stayed to help recover them.

Total Earthlings: 255. 132 remained. The other 123 were sent back to Earth under escort by an unmanned vessel.

A two-week journey with only portable rations. Not gonna be easy. At least the outbound leg was spent inside the station—some small mercy, really.

Wishing them a safe return.

Also, sending a dimensional comm to the station to check whether the mercenaries who weren’t there at the time were willing to join now.

They insisted on coming here, so we’ve decided to send the return fleet straight to Anoi Fortress once they arrive, along with the unmanned vessel’s escort.

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And then the promised day arrived.

One of the four planetary governors of the grain-rich system was absent without leave.

The Tatara system governor was present.

The Aquan nobleman of Planet Aqua’s three territories was present.

The Duke Douglas, planetary governor of Planet Fam, was absent without leave.

All present attendees—each and every one—demonstrated their loyalty to me, Akira.

Then, the Tatara system governor reported that the industrial satellite had been seized by Duke Douglas.

Duke Douglas and one of the Prince-line governors had turned traitor. A punitive fleet was dispatched.