Semi-Coercive Imperialist

Tick─ tick─

The clock in the interrogation room ticked. I gazed at it quietly.

Tick─ tick─

I closed my eyes in silence. I try speaking to the thing inside my body.

Thump─ thump─

There is no reply, but the virus is still pulsing.

Thump─

Tick─

The unit of the pulse is one second.

The two rhythms overlap precisely.

Clack.

The door opened. At last, Adria came out of the interrogation room. She looked at me and smiled brightly.

“Another case closed, Knight Maximilian.”

Adria is a core member of the Revolutionary forces. While I was drafting a general statement report, she had probably gone ahead to act first, but she wouldn’t have pulled anything too reckless. In the heart of the Sentinel Knight Order, even someone like her would have to tread carefully.

To them, Adria is hundreds of times more valuable than a contact like Daniel.

“Thank you.”

“I tried stirring things up, but his mouth is tightly shut.”

Adria has some sort of degree in socio-dissident crime psychology or something like that. Probably got it just to make contact with the Revolutionary forces herself in situations like this.

“Yes. Let me try.”

“Alright. Get whatever you can out of him.”

Adria left the room, and I entered as if switching places with her.

On the other side of the cold metal table, Daniel sat in handcuffs.

“First of all… quite a lot of evidence was found at your place. Everything from coded messages that require decryption to high-powered explosives.”

“…….”

Daniel said nothing.

Tap. Tap.

I tapped the table with my fingers and looked at him. From my own past experience as a detainee, the most frightening weapon was always silence.

“…….”

Sweat formed on Daniel’s temples. His lips were dry and cracked.

I calmly adjusted my clothes.

And then, I opened my mouth.

“Those two people who were there with you─ they must be Revolutionary members too.”

A woman in her early to mid-thirties, and another in her mid to late teens. Ezenheim who had hidden by Daniel’s side.

“No!”

Daniel suddenly reacted sharply. I looked at him for a moment. The fierce tremble in his eyes was truly surprising.

“They’re not members of the Revolutionary forces.”

His tone was irritating.

“I alone-”

“Who said you could speak informally?”

“…….”

“Let’s at least keep things courteous.”

Daniel took a moment to catch his breath. Then, in a subdued voice, he continued.

“…They’re not members of the Revolutionary forces. They’re immigrants who don’t even speak the Empire’s language properly. They had overstayed their residency and were supposed to be deported… so I used them.”

I observed Daniel’s expression. That face as he spoke of the two women. That saintly mindset trying to take all the blame upon himself.

“…That’s strange.”

Come to think of it, his behavior was odd from the beginning. When I was about to open the hidden door, he lost his mind and fired a pistol. And even though he wasn’t Ezenheim, he was possessed by a degree of revolutionary fervor far too intense for an ordinary citizen of the Empire.

“Because of you, now all the workers at the factory will fall under suspicion. Some of them might even be getting tortured right now.”

Workers who had done nothing wrong, who simply toiled day after day to earn money and feed their families.

The Empire’s police had arrested all of them. Because of Daniel, who had built a secret room in the factory inherited from his father.

“And yet you’re only concerned about those two?”

He built the factory as a front to avoid suspicion, but instead of worrying about the workers, he’s heartbroken over two Ezenheim women.

“…….”

Daniel’s expression froze over. I let out a hollow laugh.

“What a fucking emotion this is? You preach about liberation and revolution, some grand cause, but the only thing that really shakes you are just two people.”

It wasn’t revolution. It was love. It wasn’t a cause. It was an entirely personal matter.

No matter how misguided a belief may be, those who dedicate their lives to loyalty are given respect. But someone who is swayed by mere personal feelings becomes nothing more than a loser covered in shame and filth.

Only now do I understand why the Revolutionary forces looked at me the way they did before the regression.

They respected Sebestian, and they were disgusted by me.

“Unbelievable.”

I stood up from my seat and looked down at Daniel. Daniel clenched his fists tightly with his head bowed.

“It’s useless for you to deny being a member of the Revolutionary forces. The moment I identify someone as a Revolutionary, they become one.”

Daniel raised his gaze. His eyes were filled with a mix of resignation and anger.

“In that case, I won’t speak another word.”

“…Pfft.”

I let out a small laugh. Slowly, I stepped closer and leaned over the table.

“Don’t be mistaken.”

I whispered in a low voice.

“The information you have was never needed in the first place.”

***

In the Empire, there exists a special judicial institution called the “Knight Court”. In truth, it’s closer to a procedure than an organization.

When the assigned knight submits collected evidence records and a written opinion on the case to a judge, the judge renders a verdict and sentencing based on that documentation.

All complicated and time-consuming processes like legal counsel or jury verdicts are entirely omitted.

The subjects are mainly those who hold dissatisfaction toward the Empire or pose a threat, anti-establishment individuals.

Investigative authority, prosecutorial power, and influence over sentencing. This is one of the reasons why knights are called the “Sword of the Empire”.

I wrote a case opinion on Daniel and the other two Ezenheim.

The charges were conspiracy to overthrow the Empire, illegal stay, membership and activity in the Revolutionary forces, and illegal manufacturing and possession of explosives.

The sentence recommendation: death penalty.

I scribbled it out with a logic of my own.

I got up from my chair. Just behind me was a window. The office for new knights was quite small.

But with this case, the budget would likely be increased, and the space would soon expand.

As a knight, performance is important. And to fully inherit Ebenholtz, Sebestian’s support is essential.

“…….”

I placed my hand near my collarbone.

And thought about this quietly pulsing virus.

The dimensional devourer summoned by Ezenheim. A fragment of that thing seeped into me and regressed along with me.

Though I’m forcibly carrying it with me, I don’t know what this thing’s purpose is. It’s hard to even gauge if it’s truly a sentient being.

One thing is certain, this thing consumes Ezenheims. And it helps me to vaguely understand the mana of the world.

Its existence itself seems to be composed of mana, but perhaps it’s some kind of cosmic substance that I can’t yet comprehend.

The conclusion is simple.

I need to learn more about mana, and uncover more.

***

Districts 40 through 44 of the Empire are slums. Because they’re part of the Underground City area. However, right next to the Underground City lies an autonomous region, as if the two areas were back-to-back.

“Zestfall.”

Originally, it was a normal 39th district of the Empire, but due to a concentration of uniquely creative mana engineering companies, prestigious universities, and magic towers, it developed explosively, and in exchange for the massive taxes paid to the royal family, it was granted a high level of autonomy.

I found a shabby mana shop in one of its alleyways.

[Mana Shop, Lorenzo Carione]

In this way, the Empire’s “Integrated Identity Network”, accessible from the Sentinel Knight Order, is very convenient. No matter where someone is in the Empire, if you remember their name, you can find them.

The exterior is ordinary. In fact, the wood is so rotted it looks like it’ll fall apart. It’s enough to make one hesitate to enter, but the shop owner is far from ordinary.

A figure of very high authority in mana.

Creeeak─ I opened the wooden door, its edges frayed.

“…….”

I quietly looked around the interior. At the counter stood a bespectacled staff member, and on the shelves were not only simple raw ingredients and herbs, but also magi-tech items made by combining machines and mana stones.

One particular item caught my eye.

It was a machine like a waterwheel. In front of it stood a boy resembling a puppy.

“Did you make this?”

“…Ah, yes!”

The boy, called out, smiled cheerfully as he stepped forward. His features were quite sharp. The staff member beside him gave a worried glance in this direction.

“It’s a mana stone waterwheel!”

“Mana stone waterwheel.”

“Yes. If you place it somewhere with a high mana density!”

The boy released mana. The waterwheel, touched by that stream, began to turn with a rumble.

“It draws mana like a waterwheel!”

My eyebrow twitched.

“Like this, it keeps gathering mana from the air!”

As the boy infused mana, the waterwheel rotated, and in the container placed beneath, particles the size of sand grains began to condense. Circulation and refinement of mana. The process and flow formed before my eyes. The principle of it became visible to me.

Is this also due to the virus?

“It produces mana stones!”

The boy placed the dust-like mana stone on his fingertip. The mana stone quickly evaporated.

“Ah, you know, right? Artificial mana disappears! But if you put it somewhere with lots of natural mana, the mana stone won’t vanish!”

Human mana and natural mana are different. Human mana cannot be turned into stones or crystals, but natural mana, gathering underground, in caves, or inside glaciers, becomes mana stones.

In other words, this mana stone waterwheel is a natural mana stone generator.

I looked at the boy.

“What’s your name?”

“Arman!”

Arman answered with a face full of anticipation. His cheeks puffed up like steamed buns, and his eyes sparkled like stars.

“The concept is good, but.”

There was something I had to point out. The joint part of the waterwheel that draws in mana. There was a defect there. At least, according to the virus.

I lightly infused mana into that spot.

Boom─!

The entire waterwheel exploded.

“…N-no!”

Arman’s face looked like his world had collapsed.

“Why, why would you do that?!”

The boy bent over, almost crying. I looked down at him as he picked up the shattered remains.

“This waterwheel is only meaningful when used in places with a high mana density, but in such places, mana ruptures happen frequently.”

The boy quickly looked up at me.

“Mana wears down materials. If you place this waterwheel in a place thick enough with mana to create natural mana stones, it won’t last even a day. In other words, it’s not practical. And more importantly…”

There was a more critical issue, but I didn’t say any more.

“…I worked so hard on it.”

Arman’s lips trembled as if he was about to burst into tears.

At some point, the boy’s face turned red. He suddenly stood up and held out his palm to me.

“Please compensate me!”

“Compensate?”

“You destroyed an item that’s for sale!”

“─Arman! You rascal!”

Just then, someone rushed out, calling Arman’s name.

Lorenzo Carione. With a thick beard and sideburns, he walked out leaning on a cane.

“How dare you speak so rudely to a customer!”

He scolded the boy in my place, looking like a rather strict mana merchant. That was his appearance, at least.

But in truth, he is a genius professor who once vanished from the world. A mage scholar with a deep story behind him, he harbors a strong dislike for nobles.

That’s why my criticism of the boy was partly intentional. If I hadn’t done that, he wouldn’t have shown his face to me.

“You’re the owner, I presume.”

I gestured toward Lorenzo.

“…Yes. Apologies. This brat is my apprentice, but he’s got no manners. Hey, bow your head!”

Lorenzo tapped the boy’s crown with his cane. But the boy didn’t lower his head.

“You! You’re not going to bow your head?!”

“…….”

Tears welled up in the boy’s eyes, but even so, he didn’t bow. He clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth.

“Enough.”

His unyielding attitude pleased me. Regardless of status or age, that was far better than the rotten nobles who bow until their foreheads touch the ground.

More than anything, the boy had outstanding talent, so this much was tolerable.

“Owner. I’m looking for items like these.”

I handed an order list to Lorenzo. Rare mana books by leading scholars, flasks and syringes for mana analysis, high-grade mana stones to feed the virus, and so on.

“…There are quite a few items we don’t have here. It may be difficult for us to acquire them.”

Difficult to acquire.

I smiled faintly and turned back to Arman. I pointed at his flushed-red face and the wreckage of the waterwheel he had made.

“A machine that artificially produces mana stones could be in violation of the Imperial Mana Stone Regulation Act.”

“…….”

Lorenzo bit his lip subtly, and Arman’s face turned to one of sudden fear.

“I wonder what they would say if they saw it.”

Just like this, I would not hesitate to use any means necessary.

It meant I had no intention of wasting time trying to appease anyone’s feelings.

“…We don’t have them right now, but I think I can procure them. It’ll come to about 100,000 dollars.”

Lorenzo’s tone shifted in an instant.

“That’s good to hear. Thank you.”

I didn’t scold him. On the contrary, I expressed gratitude and pulled out my wallet.

“But, will 100,000 be enough?”

I signed a check and handed it to him.

Lorenzo’s eyes widened at the amount.

“It’s 200,000.”

I don’t haggle.

To someone worth receiving the money, to a talent who won’t waste it, I pay more than the full price.

“If you happen to need more during the process of obtaining the items, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

This is the Ebenholtz way of doing business.