Semi-Coercive Imperialist

The quiet hallway of the Sentinel Knight Order.

Leon was walking while hiding something in his arms. His face was quite tense, and understandably so.

“……Leon!”

Tiana, from the support team, popped out from a corner.

“This way. Hurry.”

Leon quickly approached her, also checking his surroundings.

Tiana whispered.

“Were you caught?”

“No. Not yet.”

“Phew… Let’s go to your office first. Mine’s by the window, we might get spotted.”

Nodding, the two quickly left the area.

[Knight Office: Leon]

As soon as they went in and locked the door, they each placed a book, tightly wrapped in paper, on the table.

Tiana let out a long sigh.

“Ah, times like this really show how Max has no sense.”

“I’m really grateful, though. The great Knight Max.”

“Hey, fuck, of course I’m grateful too, but still…”

Tiana and Leon had asked Max for the technique manual a few days ago. They hadn’t really expected anything. Though they were classmates, they weren’t particularly close.

But Max had said “okay” and they thought it was just a polite reply, until, surprise.

That very morning, it had actually been delivered right to their office door!

“How did Max write something like this? So suddenly out of the blue.”

Tiana muttered as she flipped the technique manual back and forth.

“I heard Max came up with it all by himself during his time at Empire Point.”

“Ah, really? Well, he did like being alone… Anyway, let’s just study a little first.”

-Knock knock.

At the sound of knocking, the two quickly shoved the theory book under the desk.

“Yes!”

Responding to Leon’s call, the door opened. It was Raynel, the senior knight. He looked between Tiana and Leon and furrowed his brow.

“……What are you two doing?”

“Just discussing some work.”

“Well, whatever. I don’t care if you’re dating or not… By the way, did you get that book?”

That book. The one that had become explosively popular among the knights recently, a new breakthrough in body-enhancing aura techniques.

「Aura Sphere」.

Leon swallowed and answered.

“No. We haven’t managed to get it yet.”

“Oh, really?”

Raynel tilted his head smugly for some reason.

“That’s unfortunate. I got mine.”

“……What?”

Tiana and Leon blinked. Raynel chuckled at the sight of them.

“Well… Sir Chiron got it for me.”

“Ah, I see, is that so?”

“Yeah. So you guys should learn to stick with the right people. Don’t get involved with the wrong stuff. No matter how~ hard~ you try on your own, something like this.”

Raynel pulled the technique manual from his coat. That guy even had it locked in a separate case.

“Do you think you could get it?”

“Ah…….”

“Uh…….”

It looked like he came here just to brag, but they weren’t sure how to respond.

“Well, then. Good luck~ Hahaha.”

Thankfully, he left right after saying his piece.

Tiana tilted her head.

“What’s with that guy?”

“……Tiana. Should we just head home? Let the staff go early.”

They didn’t have much work today anyway. It was usually like this before or after big events.

“Okay. But first, let’s infuse mana. Just in case.”

The two of them channeled mana into the technique manuals. After that, nothing happened, and they left the office together and went down to the parking lot.

***

─I didn’t know you had such talent. Young Master.

Knight’s office. It had been a while since Enzi last contacted me.

“Hey. It’s just trendy now. It’s not that impressive. You know well, right? Knights hate change but hate falling behind even more.”

─No. It doesn’t feel like a passing trend at all.

There was a note of joy in Enzi’s voice. It was rare for someone like him, who always maintained his composure.

“I’ll send one to Father too. Though I doubt he’ll actually use it.”

─Yes. Ahem, Young Master.

Clearing his throat, Enzi gave me a rather pleasant compliment.

─You are becoming more and more admirable.

“……Thank you.”

A natural smile formed on my lips.

─Well then, please get some rest.

“Yeah. Good work.”

I hung up the call.

Knock knock-

Just then, a staff officer entered along with a knock.

“Sir Knight. A letter for you.”

He handed over the letter. It bore the seal of the Imperial Palace. It wasn’t the seal of the Imperial Family, but that of the palace itself, and the sender was Reutern II.

Roughly put, it was urging for the progress of the「Aura Sphere」.

“……Fucking moron.”

I crumpled it up and threw it away.

“From now on, there’s no need to bring me any correspondence from that man. Just deal with it as you see fit.”

“Yes, sir.”

Reutern II.

Even among the so-called ‘nobles of the Imperial Palace’, most of whom were already rotten, he was an especially dogshit bastard.

A lump of filth who would later become part of the military command.

I never quite figured out what he wanted, but the man was so uneducated that everything he did ended in disaster, and he managed to singlehandedly ruin an entire corps. Frankly, he was more helpful to the revolution than the Revolutionary forces themselves, and for that reason, he was executed not even as a war criminal, but simply as a common criminal.

I pulled up Reutern II’s profile on the Knight Order’s computer.

. Charge: Rape – Verdict: Not guilty

. Charge: Revenge murder – Verdict: Not guilty

. Charge: Operating an illegal gambling den – Verdict: Not guilty…….

And countless more, endlessly continuing crimes.

All ending in not guilty.

Still, this isn’t the time to waste attention on a piece of trash like him.

Protests are erupting all over the Empire. Terror attacks are also gradually increasing in frequency.

The central region of the Empire, where the Imperial Family and military have direct control, is relatively calmer, but the west and east are starting to boil.

Soon, a major event is coming.

I recalled the developments from before the regression.

There exists a massive industrial zone within the Empire called “Gigantes”. It’s the center of the military industry, including weapons manufacturing. A region that has served as the Empire’s engine for hundreds of years.

But I would rather describe Gigantes as follows:

A tattered golem.

The Empire’s various infrastructures are already severely outdated. In other words, they are far too old. It was a natural inevitability.

The Empire had endured for a staggering thousand years. No other country, not one, had lasted this long.

However, in the face of a thousand years, even the most well-made machines eventually rust. Even flowing rivers dry up, and the shapes of towering mountains are altered.

Gigantes was no exception.

Established nearly half a millennium ago, it had forcibly modified facilities once used to make swords and spears to now produce guns and cannons, twisted equipment that once manufactured cavalry armor to forge tank parts. Machines were patched together roughly, depending on necessity.

Extremely inefficient, yet due to its sheer size, it still made up a massive portion of the Empire’s military production, a critical industrial zone.

And there, sabotage occurs.

[Breaking News] Massive explosion suspected to be an act of anti-government radicals occurs at Gigantes, the Empire’s largest military-industrial zone.

The scoop that will brilliantly end this fall.

And I had something that I absolutely had to obtain from that incident.

***

[ The time for execution has come. ]

The Empire’s massive industrial zone, Gigantes. Long having served as the Empire’s engine, darkness already blankets it deeply.

[ Now the Empire is trying to wage war. ]

The workers are endlessly exploited for meager wages, and the surplus value produced by grinding down their very souls is pocketed by the palace nobles.

“Hey, you crazy bastard! Move faster, now?!”

Supervisors, so-called, enforce quotas with verbal abuse and violence, and the workers, with barren expressions, repeat the same task endlessly.

[ No, they are being driven into a war they can no longer avoid. ]

Fifteen-hour workdays with only one hour of rest. Humanity has already been lost, and in their eyes, no spark, no hope, above all, no ‘future’ remains.

[ The Empire is a terminally ill patient. At the same time, it is the cancer of the continent. ]

Facilities once used to craft spears and bows are now violently crushed into spitting out bullets and shells. Furnaces once used to forge armor are modified to stamp out plating.

The epitome of inefficiency, yet the massive scale and merciless consumption of countless workers fill the gaps… a truly Empire-like industrial zone.

[ Gigantes is the chimera they created. We will destroy that monster, and even if it is destroyed- ]

“The Empire will be forced to continue the war.”

In a dim underground burrow lit by flickering candlelight, revolutionary comrades were decoding a ciphered directive sent from above.

“Because otherwise, they cannot resolve their internal problems. Thus, their war will inevitably lead to utter ruin…”

A man wearing a tiger mask placed down the now-deciphered cipher.

“And this is a classified document from ‘Moon Bear’.”

Moon Bear. Our comrade who has infiltrated the highest ranks of the Empire. He passes on various classified information from within the Empire to the Revolutionary forces.

We don’t know who he is, we shouldn’t want to know, and we must not know.

“Read it.”

The woman wearing a rabbit mask received the document.

“…….”

The Empire is collapsing. Severe wealth inequality. The Imperial Palace’s monopolization. Discontent among soldiers ignored by nobles. The rage of citizens reaching a critical point. The Emperor’s arbitrary will. A continuous decline in tax revenue. And rampant corruption.

If all this internal pressure isn’t redirected outward, the Empire will explode from within.

“……Just looking at the numbers, war is inevitable.”

“Right. That’s why this operation is more important than anything.”

The comrade in the tiger mask pointed to the operations board placed in the darkness.

Their primary target was the single central axis of Gigantes.

“We will strike at the one power source that moves all of Gigantes’s industry……”

The sole power source driving Gigantes was a massive mana stone vein buried deep within the ground. A raw heart that supplied immense mana capable of operating countless machines.

Gigantes itself had been built as an industrial zone centered around that point.

“We will destroy that core.”

It was a plan prepared over several years. Numerous Revolutionary members had already infiltrated Gigantes, and even among the middle managers and supervisors, comrades had embedded themselves.

“……Execute.”

The rabbit mask raised her fist. The core eight members in charge of the operation followed her, bringing their fists together.

“For the cause.”

In response to the tiger mask’s words, the rabbit and other animal masks replied.

“For the cause.”

Their low murmur carried resolute determination.

***

A hill not far from Gigantes.

I arrived at a villa that Dieter had purchased. It was a temporary residence where I would stay for two days around the exact date of the operation, overlooking the bleak industrial city at a glance.

“…….”

Sitting on a rocking chair by the window, I stared at the factory district, spewing ashen smoke.

This mission must be carried out by me alone. That’s how important it is.

“What a desolate city.”

Gigantes is a nest of exploitation. Probably because it belongs to those palace nobles.

There is no group more rotten than the Imperial Palace. To be honest, Reutern II is cute compared to them.

The bloodlines of the various royal families subjugated by the Empire, along with all sorts of bastard scum, gather there to play power games. It’s a den of vermin who view the citizens as pigs and dogs.

Those people always reeked with a stench that even the most expensive perfume couldn’t cover. Since the Imperial Guard had unrestricted access to the palace, they naturally mingled with them and became accomplices.

The stench that results from the two mixed together.

“That’s the biggest reason the Empire fell.”

I closed my eyes. With the virus’s help, I traced back the memories of the past. The newspaper article from before the regression unfolded vividly before me.

──────

[Breaking News] Massive explosion suspected to be an act of anti-government radicals occurs at Gigantes, the Empire’s largest military-industrial zone

……Last night, a large-scale explosion, suspected to be an act of the Revolutionary forces, occurred at the Gigantes industrial zone, the heart of the Empire’s military industry.

──────

Their boldly devised revolution.

──────

It appeared they targeted the central mana stone vein, the power source of Gigantes, but were thwarted thanks to the effective response at the scene……

……Some production facilities were destroyed, and security guards were killed, but an Empire military official stated that there would be no significant disruption to munitions production.

──────

Ended in a regrettable failure. Some key members fled, and the rest were all killed.

This fall.

My objective begins again from that very point.

“……It must succeed.”

I will aid their grand act of destruction, their resolve for revolution, in bringing down this tattered golem.

I will ensure that their will succeeds this time, no matter what.

“Haa…….”

─Are you Max? For the son of Ebenholtz… you’ve got quite a pretty face.

─Hahaha. They kept saying Ebenholtz, Ebenholtz. But compared to Sebestian, you’re far lacking?

─Why are you so scared, boy? Afraid your father will scold you? Khahaha…….

The voices of those palace bastards mocking me in the past echoed in my ears.

I’m not someone who holds grudges deeply, but palace bastards… they’re just fucking unbearable.

“There are plenty who deserve to die.”

In any case, in the southern Hermes Province, a far more advanced military factory than Gigantes is already being built in secret. I will pour even more money into that place and import the latest designs from Canilan without any alteration.

While it may not be possible to restore the absolute production volume of Gigantes in a short time, I could sufficiently replace it with better efficiency and quality.

Therefore, this fall is a stage I will share with them.

Their revolution will be of great help to me, and to the Empire. It will weaken the position of the palace bastards, and I will be the one to wholly claim the now-vacant share of the military industry.

“Not all acts of terror are bad.”

Of course, many workers in Gigantes will lose their jobs, but perhaps, they might even consider it ‘liberation’.

“I’ll be…… waiting for that day.”

Smiling, I stood up from the chair.