Semi-Coercive Imperialist

One day, Sonnet descended into the sewers of the 9th floor of the Underground City.

Today was originally the day to make contact with Arshtel, and it was the same place where the next contact was to be made.

Sonnet found Arshtel there.

No, she found his traces. Arshtel’s corpse, already rotted. His body, separated from the neck, had been devoured by sewer rats, leaving only a skeleton behind.

Maximilian did not collect Arshtel’s head. Arshtel had a bounty of two million dollars, and the price Maximilian had set was five times that, ten million. He had, as promised, willingly provided Sonnet with ten million dollars in liquid cash.

Arshtel’s head was undoubtedly the price of that transaction.

Even so, Maximilian left it behind.

In a dark, dank, and filthy place, to rot away with the waste.

Sonnet thought for a moment. Was Arshtel a double spy?

Maybe he was, maybe he wasn’t.

Either way, Sonnet could have weighed him on the scales and extracted profit and information, but now, it could never be known. Because Maximilian had killed him.

Did Maximilian not believe in Arshtel’s betrayal, or was he unable to believe it? Or perhaps he simply did not want to believe it. Did he judge that once a person harbored revolutionary thoughts, even once, they could never turn back?

His true intentions were also unknowable for now.

Sonnet thought about Maximilian.

Maximilian was a noble who stood for the Empire. He was already one of the major enemies of the Revolutionary forces.

He regarded one of the Empire’s absolute doctrines, “social status”, with great importance, and thus, more than even the Empire’s direct agencies, he respected Arnolt. It was the name of the family, Arnolt von Eschenbach, that had saved Arnolt.

However, Maximilian’s respect was selective.

He used his power to save powerless commoners. As a knight, he saved a commoner child and their family who were about to be wrongfully executed, framed as murderers. He even willingly brought the real culprit, another corrupt noble, to court and had them hanged at the guillotine.

But on the other hand, he also executed two innocent immigrants who had no involvement with the revolution.

He personally beheaded a child who had suffered abuse at the hands of the Empire’s most vile noble, a senile pedophile.

Sonnet closed her eyes for a moment.

Maximilian is an ambiguous person.

More purely imperialist than anyone, yet the principles inside him clash with one another or sprout off in their own directions.

The more one tries to form a definitive image of Maximilian, the more that image disperses into abstraction. Like a reflection fragmented in a broken mirror, it shatters into many pieces.

That is why he is──

The unknowable.

A type of human still difficult for even Sonnet to grasp.

Sebestian, on the other hand, was easier to understand. All his principles converged around the core of “family and Emperor”.

In any case.

Thanks to Maximilian not publicizing Arshtel’s head, and leaving it here in the sewers to rot, Sonnet’s business did not collapse. She was able to continue her brokerage operation, where trust is the most vital asset.

It was, in its own way, good news for Sonnet.

***

The military is still being looked down upon. Here, “the military” refers to the regular army, excluding the Imperial Guard and the Guard Corps.

Even Sebestian, the Supreme Commander of the Empire’s military, ultimately came from a knight background. He is the Commander of the Imperial Guard for the Emperor, and more than anyone, he is a man who pursues ironclad principles.

Therefore, nobles look down on the regular army. They see it as a tax-consuming beast, a gathering of uneducated fools, and even their disdainful gazes are stinging.

This widespread contempt for the military leads to several vicious cycles.

The worst is the drop in their morale. A soldier who believes that their death is not a sacrifice for the nation, but merely a statistical figure on some noble general’s report in front of a fireplace, will never give their all.

Next is the very threshold of the Imperial Army. A disrespected group does not undergo strict screening when accepting new blood.

No, there is not even the capacity to do so. Branded as a place where “uneducated fools” gather, officers pay no attention to the background or origin of new recruits. They are only desperate to fill headcounts.

Because of that, even now, within the Imperial Army, there are likely active agents of the Revolutionary forces, or spies from the Eastern Union and several Western nations.

However, the regular army and infantry are important. No matter how many tanks appear, how many knights fly through the sky, or how much firepower wizards unleash on the battlefield, in the end, occupation and control fall to the infantry.

Those who can use mana are few compared to the general population.

Moreover, the number of individuals who can exert power beyond bullets and artillery shells with mere human strength is even smaller.

Therefore, I will slowly bring the regular army into the fold.

I will cautiously embrace them.

Of course, the problem ultimately lies in illicit enrichment. In a group that is looked down upon, people who behave in despicable ways tend to pop up like mushrooms after the rain. I don’t know the reason. Not sure which came first, the contempt or the corruption.

Among the regular army, corrupt individuals abound, regardless of whether they are field-grade officers or generals.

My money will eventually be scattered across the military as well, but before that, those scum must be dealt with.

“──Loyalty!” (

While Dieter was tracking such flows of corruption,

I met Major Kai Han for the first time in a while. It was at the fishing spot in District 35 I had personally arranged through someone.

“This is the first face-to-face meeting since then.”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

Kai Han was taught by Jens.

But teachings are just teachings. Major Han needs military achievements, and I cannot hand him the achievements themselves.

I handed a map to Major Han.

“This is your new post.”

He picked it up.

The location was Western Border Region, the Berton Zone, where the 7th Imperial Guard Battalion is stationed.

The position was Deputy Battalion Commander.

“…….”

Questions appeared on his face.

“This place is…….”

“For a member of the Imperial Guard, this is probably the most undesirable posting.”

The Imperial Guard has not yet undergone rapid expansion. Though the size of the division is gradually increasing even now, its scale is still overwhelmingly small compared to the regular army, and its influence remains concentrated in the center.

Thus, the Western Border Region is considered a backwater post for the Imperial Guard members.

“You will also feel surrounded by regular army divisions.”

Regular army battalions under full divisions line the area around the 7th Imperial Guard Battalion.

“Let me ask you. What’s the reason I’m sending you there?”

I can’t reveal everything. Kai Han is still in a position of being tested. Though he certainly possesses a fine character, his abilities must match it.

“You’re sending me there because…….”

After a moment of thought, Kai Han nodded and spoke.

“To cooperate with the regular army?”

Correct. I smiled.

“What made you think that?”

“This Berton Zone is a hotspot of conflict between the Imperial Guard and the regular army. It’s because the Imperial Guard pushed into an area originally held by the regular army.”

In fact, the Imperial Guard members stationed there openly look down on the regular army. Typically, those who are pushed into backwater posts tend to have more inferiority complexes. But the real problem is the battalion commander, Makio.

“That’s right. Here’s what I think. A mere Lieutenant Colonel of the Imperial Guard has no right to look down on the regular army. The regular army can very well become part of our power base.”

The Imperial Guard and regular army share the same rank structure, only in form. Their command systems, uniform styles, and everything else differ.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t get along.

“Besides, with someone like him, I don’t even know who he thinks he’s in a position to look down on.”

I handed over documents to Kai Han, records full of Makio’s embezzlement, breach of duty, laundering, and countless other scandals.

How to cleverly make use of these, this is up to you.

“It’s about time Major Han got promoted, isn’t it?”

If Kai Han can bring down Makio with his own capabilities, then naturally, Lieutenant Colonel Han will take his place.

Since it’s a post that no Imperial Guard member wants anyway, they’d try to keep him there even if it meant promoting him.

But there is another reason this region is important.

Across the western border, in the Kingdom of Zerpha, a civil war is expected to break out soon. It is the course of history.

A conflict between the monarchist faction seeking to preserve the throne and the republican faction trying to overthrow it.

The Empire will, of course, support the monarchists, and Major Han must participate in the war and achieve merit there.

“Yes. Acknowledged.”

I handed him a bag.

“Operational expenses.”

Money. In the end, what matters is money.

The majority of imperial citizens work not out of belief, but simply to earn money.

“It’s a cold place, so you’ll need to spend a lot.”

Western Berton is a harsh mountainous region where bone-chilling winds blew. In such a place, maintaining the morale of soldiers doesn’t require much. Warm winter clothing, hearty meals, a stiff drink, and occasional bonuses were enough, but the Empire’s disdain for the regular army turned all of that into luxuries.

So all you have to do is the opposite.

Mending conflict was this easy when you had a little extra money.

“Yes, loyalty!”

Major Kai Han understood that weight.

He gave me a sharp salute and walked off with the stride of a soldier.

***

Thud-! Thud-!

The heavy sound of metal being struck rang out endlessly in the Gigantes workshop.

As one worker, his eyelids fluttering, collapsed from exhaustion, a boot flew at him accompanied by curses.

Thud-! Thud-!

Even that beating was drowned out by the roar of machines, as revolutionaries disguised as workers moved stealthily.

From beneath toolboxes, they handed off improvised explosives and detonators to one another.

Thud-! Thud-!

Small bombs began to be planted on the furnace control units, the power cores of aging conveyor belts, and the machines that forged weapons.

One by a silent worker carrying iron,

Another by a supervisor pretending to watch over the laborers,

And another by a security guard posted at the entrance.

All comrades, infiltrated here with the same purpose in their hearts.

Thud-! Thud-!

The operation was meticulous. The execution day: the Empire’s holiday, [Citizen’s Day], the only day when the workers rest. That day, simultaneous explosions would collapse the outer structure of Gigantes.

But destroying the facilities alone wouldn’t be enough, they could always be rebuilt. Using the collapsed exterior as a shell, they had to infiltrate Gigantes’s heart, its underground core, and plant the main explosive on the central mana stone vein to destroy it from the root.

Thud…… thud……

In the underground temporary command center, a comrade wearing a rabbit mask checked incoming signals from each zone with suffocating tension.

Gradually, all “points” were nearing full setup.

“It looks like we’ll be ready by the execution day. These are the current guard shifts for then.”

There were many guards. Since Gigantes halts operations only on Citizen’s Day, the security was tighter than usual.

Fortunately, there were no knight-class forces, and if they wanted to avoid harming the workers, that day was the only realistic option for execution.

“There will be guardsmen and Imperial Guard soldiers, but our forces are enough to handle them.”

Eight executive members of the Revolutionary forces. In addition, dozens of workers who sympathized with the revolution and comrades already embedded deeply.

The day of execution was close.

“……For the cause.”

Just as they were about to place their hands together in unity, a man wearing an eagle mask rushed in and said urgently.

“Everyone, listen! Menshi’s been captured!”

“What?”

Menshi was the head of explosives manufacturing. Since the Empire strictly regulates explosives, they had no choice but to gather materials and craft them manually. In that sense, Menshi was a critically important comrade.

“Menshi?”

“We don’t know how or why she was caught yet. But it’s not just her, her shop was raided, and part of our codes was discovered there. Luckily, there was no mention of Gigantes in it… but Menshi’s family and the teachers at the orphanage her uncle runs, they were all taken in.”

At that, the rabbit mask let out a deep sigh.

The tiger mask clenched his teeth.

“……The execution won’t be affected. It’ll take time to decipher the code. The problem is the amount of explosives.”

“Menshi said what she had gathered so far was exactly 100%. That’s without accounting for any variables.”

In other words, that amount was calculated to be just enough to blow up Gigantes’s mana stone vein.

However, in practice, they had planned to gather at least 30% more to account for uncertainties and margin of error.

The tiger mask nodded.

“We’ll find the remaining explosives one way or another. As for Menshi…… there’s nothing we can do. There’s nothing to be done.”

The meaning of execution is that it will be carried out even if we die. That we willingly dedicate our lives to it.

For a better world. For a better future.

“For the cause.”

Despite the loss of one member, they all raised their hands and pressed their wrists together.

…….

Thud──!

The Secret Police Bureau in the imperial center, an unnamed underground torture chamber.

A dull sound of a club striking flesh echoed.

“Ah, this bitch. Still not talking. Hey! What the hell does this mean?!”

The investigator grabbed Menshi by the hair, shaking the undeciphered code in her face.

Menshi’s entire body was already covered in bruises. Her split lips tasted of bitter blood, and dizziness blurred her vision until she could see nothing.

“This bitch is really stubborn. Do we have to kill your family in front of you to make you talk?”

No matter how much they beat her or crushed her, she would not open her mouth.

“Investigator. But, uh, this here.”

At that moment, another investigator appeared, carrying a bundle of papers.

“We looked through all the suppliers for this bitch’s store, right? And there was something a little off in the inventory logs.”

“……What stood out?”

“It’s kind of vague, but a little suspicious. You could use this stuff to make explosives and all.”

In that instant, Menshi’s heart dropped.

“Explosives? Like homemade bombs?”

“Well, yeah, probably?”

“How the hell would you know?”

“Ah, I majored in chemistry too. Mana chemistry. You know?”

Just as they were looking over the ledger, chasing leads-

Crash─!

The door to the interrogation room burst open loudly.

“What!”

Someone came rushing in from beyond.

“I-Investigator! You need to take this call immediately!”

“Shit, you scared me? What is it?”

“J-Just hurry! Now!”

“Tch… damn it…”

The investigator irritably picked up the phone.

“Yeah, this is Hans. I’m really busy righ- Yes? Transfer? Everyone? All of them? We’re the ones who made this arrest…”

Just as he was about to argue, a voice came from the other end of the line that froze his entire face.

“……Ah, yes! Understood! We’ll transfer them right away! Yes! Yes! No, of course not!”

He shouted loudly and hung up, then pointed at Menshi.

“Hey. Hood that bitch and the rest and prep them for transfer! Right now!”

The world was veiled in darkness once again. Rough hands dragged her body.

Through fading consciousness came only the sound of footsteps echoing in a cold hallway.

The sound of a heavy iron door opening and closing.

The sound of the vehicle she was loaded into moving somewhere.

In the entire process, she saw nothing, heard nothing.

How much time had passed like that?

“Remove the hood.”

At some point, a stranger’s voice spoke.

As the hood was lifted, a faint light pierced her eyelids.

She slowly opened her eyes.

It was a different place from before- clean, yet chilling.

Beyond the scent of sterility, a man in uniform stood.

“…….”

Menshi struggled to bring her blurry vision into focus. The first thing that came into view as her eyes slowly adjusted, was blonde hair. Within it, golden eyes glimmered like a desert, staring at her. Every facial feature was individually recognizable, yet despite that, it was a handsome face. But once she fully recognized the complete form, Menshi gasped.

It was a person she could not fail to recognize.

“Maxi…milian?”

At that, a faint smile formed on the man’s lips.

“Nice to meet you. So you know my name.”