Semi-Coercive Imperialist

I studied mana. I reviewed everything I didn’t know, or had learned but forgotten.

The mana curriculum at Empire Point followed the standard. All theoretical textbooks published by universities, and private tutors, were the same.

But I was fundamentally estranged from all those standards. That was because the flow of mana transmitted from the virus was completely different from what was described in textbooks.

Then, how do knights handle mana?

Through “formulas” realized via “mana circuits” within the body.

These formulas are entirely different from magic.

Mana is the fundamental energy that composes the world. On the other hand, magic is a technique created by the fusion of human imagination and mana.

Therefore, mana is nature that existed from the beginning, but magic is an invention created by humans.

Because of that, formulas take on a much more primitive form compared to magic circles. A much more chaotic and disordered flow, with straight and curved lines tangled together in various ways. This “flow of mana” formed through internal circuits creates sword force, forms aura, and strengthens the knight’s body.

The most standardized medium that presents the process of constructing these formulas is the textbook. Textbooks always emphasize the standard, that is, the predetermined order and path. That’s because it’s easier to see, easier to follow, and safer.

Not me.

The virus inside me always searches for a different path. Even when looking at the example formulas in textbooks, it bends all the circuits to create the shortest route. Or, it combines four or five circuits to open an entirely new path, directly connecting the beginning and end.

Doing so eliminates unnecessary waste that occurs during mana circulation.

Mana operation becomes much more efficient.

Because of that, it becomes possible to imagine techniques that are hard to conceive using something like a textbook. For example, the idea that if you connect the internal circuits to a high-purity mana stone and release it ‘while maintaining the formula’, it creates a materialized type of aura that significantly enhances the knight’s survivability.

Scratch─ scratch─

I inscribe these new concepts onto paper, line by line.

Scratch─ scratch─

I’m writing down formulas that have never existed in the world until now.

***

I repeated commuting and studying for a week. Even while going to the Knight Order, I studied mana in between, and after work, I spent the nights practically sleepless, writing my thesis. Progress wasn’t easy, but I knew from the start that it would take a long time, so I wasn’t impatient.

Knock knock.

In the meantime, Dieter came to visit.

“Sir Knight. This is the basic proposal for the new urban district in District 35… sir.”

District 35. On the deserted land that used to be military property, the only thing currently there is the company housing where Schatz stays.

I’m planning to build a new city centered around that location. Something creative and full of vitality like Zestfall, but with much better planning and much more order.

“Are you feeling unwell, by any chance?”

Dieter asked while examining my complexion. I looked at myself in the mirror. My hair had grown shaggy, and stubble had begun to sprout on my chin.

“Ah. I’ve been staying up writing something lately, so…”

It was at that moment.

Thud. Thud.

Along with the sound of a cane, Lorenzo finally appeared.

“Mr. Lorenzo!”

I was glad to see him. I nearly hugged him without realizing it. Lorenzo seemed slightly taken aback by my intense reaction.

“Come, please come up to the study.”

While guiding him, I rambled about my ideas.

“Mr. Lorenzo, you’ve probably heard of aura. It’s the knights’ technique, right? I’m thinking of a way to ‘materialize’ it. Oh, not in the sense of making it tangible, but literally as a sphere, like a globe.”

I flung open the door to the study. My handwritten materials were scattered all over the desk and floor. I picked up a sheet that organized the core idea.

“This is it.”

“Ah… yes.”

Lorenzo took the paper. At first, his expression was indifferent. That feeling of “I guess I’ll humor him”, even I could sense that attitude. Even though he had mellowed, he still clearly had strong pride as a scholar.

“…….”

However, before long, he was at a loss for words. The corners of Lorenzo’s eyes, scanning the paper, trembled slightly. His expression gradually shifted into one of deep seriousness.

Rustle─ rustle─

Lorenzo turned the pages and read for a while. I sat in the study chair and waited leisurely.

Rustle─ rustle─

I watched him closely as he examined each line in detail. I couldn’t help the satisfied smirk forming at the corners of my lips.

At last.

“This…”

His eyes, fixed on the paper, moved to me.

“Did you really come up with this yourself, Sir Knight?”

“Yes. It’s still just a draft, though.”

“Ha!”

Lorenzo let out a dry laugh. Admiration appeared on his face.

“Indeed, it’s an idea completely different from us wizards or scholars. It looks like a pure mana technique that uses only mana itself.”

That was an accurate assessment. My virus deals with mana as mana itself.

“Yes. What do you think? Do you think it’s feasible?”

“A formula completed inside a knight’s body, transplanted into an external mana stone and emitted… it’s definitely worth refining.”

Lorenzo gave his confirmation. He was far more reliable than the vague intuition conveyed by the virus.

“Then, let’s write it together.”

“…Together?”

“To be honest, I’m getting a headache. I’m not a scholar, and I don’t have the time to dedicate myself to this paper alone.”

I have to write other papers too, like how to properly utilize knights, or the upcoming structure of modern warfare.

The important thing is time. For me, for us, for this world, time is limited.

I held out my hand to Lorenzo.

“Mr. Lorenzo Carione. Why don’t you become a co-author of my paper?”

As someone who isn’t a scholar, I can’t convey the intuition of my virus in proper language.

But Lorenzo can.

I still can’t do anything on my own yet, but with my people, it’s possible.

“…I’m fine without being a co-author.”

Lorenzo gently smiled and shook his head.

“It already seems like a completed technique. I don’t want to put my old name out front unnecessarily. But I will help refine it into proper language.”

He took my hand.

***

Lately, Empire Point’s budget had many problems.

In truth, it wasn’t just Empire Point’s problem. The Empire’s overall situation had worsened, tax revenue itself had declined, and with the Emperor’s Imperial Guard growing bloated, funding was split into various directions.

Because of all these factors, Empire Point became riddled with problems unworthy of its reputation as “the Empire’s premier military academy.”

“…If I got cancer or something, I could at least quit.”

Cadet Commander Dane was deeply mired in thoughts encompassing the entire situation.

The part that gave him the most stress was pressure from above. Specifically, from Lieutenant General Litruman, the headmaster.

To secure budget, they ultimately had to cut costs on the cadets, and at the same time, they had to make money using the cadets. The system of sending them on dangerous missions under the pretext of ‘real combat experience’, using them like mercenaries to generate operating funds, had been established three years ago.

Since then, students in the ‘elite division’ who aimed to become knights faced significant personal expenses. Although Empire Point provided tuition, lodging, meals, and medical expenses free of charge, they had to personally obtain weapons and equipment suited to their bodies.

Because of this, commoner cadets in the elite division had to take out loans using their status as collateral, and the scholarship system, operated by donations from graduates, was practically useless. That was because most of the noble children took all the benefits for themselves.

There was no such thing as noblesse oblige for those bastards.

Knock knock.

Then, on a day right before summer break─

A knock was followed by the door opening. The visitor was Maximilian.

“Good to see you, Cadet Commander.”

Dane greeted him with a puzzled expression.

“What brings you here today?”

“It’s nothing much… but I believe this is simply the right thing to do as a graduate of Empire Point.”

Maximilian held out a check.

A donation!

Dane, before he even realized, checked the amount first.

Struggling with the budget day after day had quietly turned him into a materialist.

“…?”

Dane closed his eyes and then opened them again. He rubbed his eyelids with both hands. The number written on the check hadn’t changed.

“…Looks like you miswrote a zero or two.”

“No, it’s correct.”

Maximilian smiled faintly.

“And… ah, here it comes.”

He pointed toward the drill ground outside the window. Massive trucks rolled in, lined up in a row, unloading countless crates.

“These are goods directly imported from the Canilan Independent State. The latest models of computers and terminals. Please use part of this donation to bring in specialized instructors who can operate those devices and to expand related facilities.”

Many knights are unfamiliar with computers. Following trends or scientific advancements is not always easy. The older they are, or the poorer they are, the harder it is.

They needed to start learning as early as possible.

“This is a separate scholarship fund.”

He handed over a second check. Once again, the amount exceeded all common expectations.

“The scholarship criteria are academic performance. If performances are similar, give it to the one with the more difficult home situation, and please don’t consider any other status factors. I hope it won’t be used in the wrong places.”

“…….”

Dane alternated his gaze between the two checks and Maximilian. Donations from graduates were usually made in good faith, but when a donation went beyond common sense, one couldn’t help but question its motive.

“There are conditions to my support, of course.”

As expected.

“…Go ahead.”

Normally, he would have rejected it, but with an amount like this, it was worth hearing him out.

“Empire Point is outdated. Some of its training facilities are a hundred years old. In particular, the cafeteria and east dormitory need a complete overhaul. Please use it for that.”

Empire Point, with its 300-year tradition, could also be described another way: ancient junk.

Most of its textbooks and doctrines were also stuck in classics written decades ago.

“And… I’m thinking of writing a new textbook.”

“A textbook?”

“Every time I attended classes at Empire Point, I thought about it. The Empire’s strategy for utilizing knights is too old-fashioned. It’s time for a change.”

“…It’s not old-fashioned. It’s tradition. That’s what the Headmaster, Lieutenant General Litruman, believes. I imagine your father, Sebestian, thinks the same. Are you saying they’re wrong?”

“Yes. They are.”

Dane blanked out for a moment at Maximilian saying his father was wrong.

Well, he was young. This kind of boldness was only possible at that age.

“Regrettably, the education of cadets-”

“That’s what this donation is for. I promise you this: over the next three years, I will donate ten times this amount.”

“…Ten times?”

“Yes.”

Compared to Ebenholtz’s wealth, of course, it was a mere drop in the bucket. But Sebestian would never approve of such spending.

Had Maximilian started a separate business on his own?

“At that level, even Lieutenant General Litruman would grant approval.”

With that, he handed over two boxes containing fountain pens. Dane recognized them immediately. They were made with top-grade mana stones, roughly worth half a million dollars each.

“It’s really nothing much. I just want to propose a slight revision to the role of knights on future battlefields.”

“What if I, and many of the instructors who read your proposal, don’t want to accept it?”

“Surely you wouldn’t do that.”

Dane thought of the size of the donation.

If it were ten times this amount, it wasn’t a joke anymore, they could completely overhaul every facility in Empire Point.

“I’ll receive and look at the textbook.”

“Thank you.”

Maximilian nodded and handed over another document.

“Please take a look when you have time. It’s still a first draft, but I believe Brigadier General Dane will be able to grasp it.”

“What now? You must be working on quite a few things.”

“The future, after all, is drawn with a pen.”

[Theory of Knight Formulas: Aura Sphere]

“…Aura Sphere?”

“Yes. It’s something called the ‘Aura Body’, a further development of aura… I’ve incorporated my thoughts on how knights should advance in modern, evolving warfare, and how they should be utilized. Once the paper is finalized into a theoretical book, I’ll donate the first copy to Empire Point.”

“A theoretical book? Ha, alright. I’ll read it when I find the time.”

“Thank you.”

Maximilian rose from his seat.

“Well then, I’ll be going.”

“Go ahead.”

After giving a polite nod, Maximilian left the office. Dane absentmindedly fiddled with the checks, then smiled contentedly.

Belatedly, the paper Maximilian had left behind caught his eye.

“Aura Sphere.”

He was curious. It sounded absurd, like the kind of delusion one would have in their early twenties. The way he spoke of it as a theoretical book was, in a way, endearingly fitting for someone his age.

Dane picked up the document.

Rustle. He opened a page.

After reading the introduction, formulas related to mana followed.

“Hmm.”

Just five pages in, he could already tell the framework of the paper was solid.

After reading ten more pages, his eyes opened without him realizing it.

As more time passed, he found himself drawn in.

The method of constructing the formula circuits was outstanding, and the structure connecting the formulas was elegant. The conclusion formed by carefully combining various mana equations, the concept of emitting the entire aura through a mana stone…

“This could work?”

Theoretically, it seemed so feasible that it actually felt unrealistic. There was the condition that it required prohibitively expensive, ultra-high-purity mana stones, but even so, it was hard not to be intrigued. There was no way to test it immediately since he didn’t have a mana stone on hand.

…No, he did.

Dane picked up the mana stone fountain pen that Maximilian had left as a gift for the headmaster.