Chapter 32: If You Ask About the Empire's Future (3) | Semi-Coercive Imperialist
The night had darkened. I was handling work in a vacant office at Empire Point.
There were quite a few documents that needed my approval. Although I had delegated full authority over company affairs to Dieter, any official duty as a knight still required my review.
[Grand Jury Notice]
[Objection to Non-indictment Decision]
[Investigation Report Records...]
All sorts of cases come to a knight. Many of them are cases where the trial is already over or the police investigation has concluded. That's because each knight of the Empire serves as an independent institution that checks prosecutors, judges, and police alike.
"...Haa."
Having taken care of almost everything, I swept my hair back and stood up from my seat.
Just then, visitors walked in.
"Max~ Are you sleeping here tonight too?"
It was Leon.
"No. I'll be heading out soon."
Tiana appeared next to him.
"At this hour? Just sleep here. Here, take this."
She handed over a bag containing some food.
"How long has it been? Isn't it about time for a late-night snack?"
Inside the bag were instant frozen soup and noodles. Just add hot water and mix, it was a delicacy from our cadet days. I accepted it.
The two of them sat on the sofa.
"Wow. Look at all those documents."
Leon admired the pile on my desk. Tiana gave a small laugh.
"Sir Max causes so much trouble. Usually, a single case comes with dozens of pages of paperwork."
She was absolutely right. I ate the hot noodles with wooden chopsticks.
It was delicious.
A taste I had missed.
"This brings back memories. Just a year ago, this place felt like our home."
At Leon's comment, Tiana let out a soft laugh.
"I used to be number one all the time back then."
I used to dislike how boastful Tiana was. It was because of a petty inferiority complex.
But now, I could acknowledge it.
Tiana was truly born with talent. Before the regression, she hadn't fully blossomed, but she was probably on Edmon's level, if not greater.
"But what about now?"
Leon asked teasingly.
"Phew. That's what I'm saying~ Once I actually became a knight, the tension kinda wore off. No matter how hard I try, maybe it's just that I've hit a limit."
As she said that, Tiana looked at me. I shrugged.
"If you're capable enough, there's no such thing as a limit."
"...That might be true for you."
I simply smiled off her sincere sarcasm. Tiana was okay. Leon too.
Even if they disliked or disapproved of me, I was glad to see them. Thanks to people who still called me Max, I could briefly immerse myself in old memories.
This kind of indulgence.
"Oh? There come the Elite Division kids."
Leon pointed out the window. I stood next to him. At the sight of cadets covered in clumps of mud, Tiana let out a soft laugh.
"Ah~ Looks like they rolled in mana mud. That must've been brutal."
Mana-infused mud. It can naturally form in certain regions, but the military develops it as a trap. Intentionally created mana mud is deadlier than most bombs or booby traps. If you step in the wrong spot, your whole body gets sucked in and you suffocate.
"...."
Among the returning elite cadets, I spotted someone. Hannah Usar. Her small lips were mumbling. Going "Ouch– ouch–" as she furiously clawed the mud from her blond hair, she looked like she was hand-washing laundry.
"...Oh right. Max, I've been hearing your name a lot lately in connection to mana residue."
Tiana's sudden comment made me tilt my head.
"You've been hearing my name a lot?"
"Yeah. The police are impressed with how accurate your analyses are. Are you studying something on the side?"
"No. It's just that my eyes have opened recently."
"...Ah. So they were closed before."
I chuckled quietly.
Trrrring─
Just then, a call came through the terminal.
─Sir Maximilian, this is Detective Ezente. I was in charge of the Jeremy Keshun murder case.
"Go ahead."
─Yes, well… as you mentioned, there was an Imperial Guard vehicle that passed through the scene during the time of the incident. It was a guardsman named Lorenz Tilman. What should we do?
"Tell him to come to my office tomorrow morning."
A guardsman from the Imperial Guard, who used to be a wizard, had killed an unaffiliated wizard, and the victim just so happened to be an Ezenheim.
I was extremely curious about the details.
─Ah, but you see... the Imperial Guards are, how should I put it, rather rigid? You know what I mean, right?
"Yes. You can use my name."
─Ye~s, thank you. Loyalty.
Click. I ended the call.
I spoke to the two fellow cadets staring at me with bright, curious eyes.
"I'm heading out now. Good work."
"He's really going."
It was a brief but welcome moment. Still, there wasn't much time to enjoy it.
"Thanks. I'll eat this on the way."
Grabbing the instant noodles, I headed straight outside.
***
Within the Imperial Guard, many factions lurk. Currently, the largest faction is that of the high noble Jun Kandel and Imperial Guard Commander Goebel, but aside from them, smaller groups are scattered all over. Conflicts frequently occur, especially because the Guard has a high ratio of commoners and soldiers, leading to friction with those from noble backgrounds or Empire Point graduates.
"...A summon has come from Sir Maximilian."
Amidst all that, a recent small stir had occurred. Major Rodriguez, once considered quite promising, had his throat slit.
The cause: Rodriguez had accused Maximilian of Ebenholtz.
A foolish move. For someone of commoner background, it would've been unthinkable, but rural nobles occasionally had a baffling lack of awareness.
"Just comply with it for now."
Imperial Guard Major, Kai Han. He was of commoner origin. Though rejected by Empire Point, he had entered the Imperial Guard and gathered others without connections or background to form a small faction.
It wasn't driven by a grand ambition to seize power within the Guard. It was simply a way to band together so that none of them would end up dying a pointless and unjust death.
"Yes. I'm sorry, sir."
Lorenz Tilman bowed his head. Once a wizard affiliated with the Magic Tower, he had been dishonorably discharged after taking the blame for his professor's crimes, and he was the culprit in this recent wizard murder case.
"No. I understand. It wasn't something you could control."
"...Thank you. Then, I'll be going."
As always, Lorenz saluted and got into the vehicle.
Major Han let out a sigh as he watched him leave.
Maximilian, as he was now, wasn't someone they could handle. Ever since the Rodriguez incident, the Imperial Guard members had either feared or avoided Maximilian.
If Lorenz managed to survive, that would be a relief...
Most nobles like Maximilian detested the Imperial Guard. It might even be close to hatred.
"Jensen. Prepare the car."
"Sir? Why all of a sudden-"
"He's someone who's followed me this far. I've got to at least try."
Major Han made up his mind not to send his subordinate off to die so meaninglessly.
***
Tick-tock─ Tick-tock─
Sentinel Knight Interrogation Room.
Tick-tock─ Tick-tock─
The sound of the clock was irritating. The quieter the space, the louder it felt.
Tick-tock─ Tick-tock─
Is there even a need to have a clock in an interrogation room?
I stood on the chair, intending to take the clock down.
Knock knock.
"Ah."
I quickly stepped down and sat back in my seat. The door opened, and a young Imperial Guardsman entered.
"Loyalty. Lieutenant Lorenz Tilman reporting."
I gestured to the seat across from me.
"Have a seat."
"...Yes."
Name: Lorenz. Surname: Tilman. Commoner. Height: 181 cm. Foot size: 290 mm. Formerly a wizard from the Magic Tower. Every characteristic I had observed from the mana residue perfectly matched this man.
"Sir Knight. May I ask why you summoned me...?"
He asked for the reason he was called in, but the tension written all over his face had already given it away.
"You already know, don't you?"
I slid over the Jeremy Keshun murder case file. Lorenz's expression faltered.
"...."
He stayed silent. He seemed to be working his brain furiously.
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to wait around for his excuses.
"I'll say this upfront. I hate lies."
I already knew everything. Let's not waste each other's time.
Understanding what I meant, Lorenz clenched his teeth. The muscles in his jaw twitched. Soon, as if making up his mind, he let out a sigh-like statement.
"...Yes. I killed him."
"The reason?"
"I borrowed money."
My brows furrowed.
Killing someone because you don't want to repay a debt. It's a story far too familiar and filthy, a classic among the Imperial Guard.
"Why did you borrow the money?"
"It was for my mother's hospital bills."
"Did you kill him because you didn't want to repay it?"
"...."
Lorenz stopped again. I fixed my gaze on him intently.
"I'm warning you. Don't waste time thinking while I'm being lenient."
This constant delay in conversation was getting irritating.
"...I apologize. Jeremy Keshun was my senior back when I belonged to the Novus Magic Tower. I borrowed the money then-"
"How much was it?"
"Three hundred thousand dollars."
Quite a lot.
"Anyway, I borrowed it from him at the Tower and steadily paid it back, but the interest was too high. Even my Guard salary wasn't enough. When I tried to plead with him, he started demanding internal information from the Imperial Guard in exchange."
I closely observed Lorenz as he spoke.
"At first, he asked for lists of low-ranking Guard members, but then it escalated into demands for more classified information..."
Is this man lying? It doesn't seem so.
More than anything, if it's an Ezenheim, that's a very plausible demand.
It wasn't that I trusted the Guard, it was that I distrusted the Ezenheim.
"When I offered to pay the interest in cash, he began threatening me. Said he would report the information straight to the Guard. He even demanded I always come see him in full Guard uniform."
"To show that you were in his grasp, and to hold something over you."
"...Yes. And that night, Jeremy Keshun threatened me again, said I must bring classified Guard documents. He even dragged my mother into it. I couldn't hold back my anger."
Thanks to that, he killed an Ezenheim.
"Alright, Mr. Lorenz. I've received your confession. Now put it in writing. I won't put you in handcuffs."
I handed him a statement form.
"...Understood."
Scratch, scratch.
As he began writing his confession in his own hand, I asked him,
"Mr. Lorenz. Whose backing do you have inside the Imperial Guard?"
"Backing... I wouldn't say I have any. I'm just an ordinary member."
Even as an Ebenholtz, I had no way of knowing the deep internal power dynamics and factional tensions within the Imperial Guard. If there was a weakness to being an Ebenholtz, that was it.
Sebestian was a man who acted like a noble to his bones, and he dismissed the Guard entirely, not to mention the deeper, baser power games beneath them, which he cared for even less.
"...."
I looked at Lorenz.
I needed people. Not just in the Knight Order.
Even in the Imperial Guard, that problematic group, I needed people of my own.
Knock knock.
Just then, the administrative officer knocked. He came in and whispered softly.
─A man claiming to be Mr. Lorenz's superior has arrived. Major Kai Han.
Kai Han. I let the name roll over in my mind before nodding. Lorenz looked at me with a worried expression.
"Your superior has come. Major Kai Han."
It was a name I knew.
In fact, it was more than that.
Before the regression, I had once fought alongside him on the battlefield. He was a good soldier. He fulfilled his duties, never showed interest in unnecessary massacres or looting, and remained one of the rare few in the Imperial Guard who focused purely on his role as a soldier, not the perks that came with it.
"No! This is entirely a personal crime with no relation to Major Han!"
A far more emotional response than before. It seems Major Han commands significant trust, matching his character.
Snap.
I snapped my fingers. The administrative officer brought over the autopsy report in response to the signal.
"First, let me ask you. What punishment do you expect for this murder?"
Lorenz would likely stand formal trial. With no connections to rely on, unless someone stepped in to help, a guilty verdict was all but certain.
"I will offer my head. But please, just understand this much, that Major Han truly had nothing to do with it."
"...Your head?"
I frowned and leaned back in my chair, letting out a hollow laugh.
"Is my image that terrifying within the Imperial Guard? Well, I suppose that would be because of Rodriguez."
Tap tap. I drummed my fingers on the desk where Lorenz had bowed deeply.
"Raise your head."
He lifted his face. I looked deeply into his eyes.
"Listen carefully. Major Rodriguez was a sewer rat who came from the countryside. He threatened citizens of the Empire, falsified crimes, and tried to seize their property. He wasn't even worthy of being called a noble. Lorenz, you know that well, don't you? You've likely experienced the same kind of injustice."
It's a hardship common to those of commoner background. Unless you fawn and flatter with all your might, and even then, if luck isn't on your side, you could become a victim at any time.
I handed him the autopsy report.
"To get to the point, the deceased was an Ezenheim."
Not the victim, the deceased.
The report said 'suspected to be a subspecies', but I intentionally identified them as Ezenheim.
"The worst among all the subspecies. I even plan to write a book about them someday."
I meant it. One day, I would clearly distinguish them from every other race.
"Mr. Lorenz, you were blackmailed and exploited for information by the deceased over a long period. Of course, if that fact comes to light, it will bring harm to you too. After all, it's the same as selling internal secrets of the Imperial Guard."
Not only being torn apart, but he might actually have to give up his neck. That's the kind of group the Imperial Guard is.
"However."
This was where it mattered.
"I can bury all of it. Not just for you, but for your superior as well, without any consequences."
Lorenz's expression shook. A trembling breath slipped through his teeth.
From the moment he stepped into this interrogation room, he had been dragged along by me. Now, for the first time, he asked a question of his own volition.
"...What do you want?"
Exactly what I had hoped to hear.
I almost laughed.
"It's simple. I need information and forces from inside the Imperial Guard. But not to sell it off for personal gain like that subspecies did."
Thud.
I pressed down on the photograph of the dead Ezenheim's face.
"For the peace of the Empire..."
My objective always leads back to that.
At the very least, it must appear so, and it will.
"Will you become my people?"