Semi-Coercive Imperialist

──Tick.

I opened my eyes.

Memories of the past surfaced as if they were real.

─Clink.

My wrists felt heavy. Cold shackles dug into my flesh. Beyond me was a rusty iron bar, and within my trembling vision, their faces came into view.

Ezell Runsellot. A noble of a great family who had given up her nobility.

Yet she seemed more noble than anyone else, and I was more ragged than anyone.

‘……Max.’

Ezell called my name as if she were sorrowful. Behind her, Edmon looked at me with a complicated gaze.

A country where the distinction of status had already vanished.

I, who had thrown away the pride of the great Ebenholtz family faster than anyone else.

I had run away without knowing why I was running, and I had lived without knowing why I was living.

‘Regarding the treatment of Ebenholtz…….’

Complex emotions were entangled on their faces.

They discussed the matter with officials of the New Cabinet while keeping me locked there.

Fearing execution, I couldn’t say a word──

“-Haa!”

My heart trembled violently as I was pulled back to reality.

There was someone in front of me, sitting cross-legged like me.

Freya.

“Is it difficult?”

She tilted her head slightly.

“You’re wavering.”

Today’s lesson was the beginning of Ebenholtz Second Movement.

I exhaled deeply and lowered my upper body. I calmed my trembling heart.

“……Yes. I couldn’t help but be shaken.”

Freya let out a brief laugh.

“When mana is circulated deep into the body, sometimes the brain gets confused and is engulfed by strange hallucinations or memories of the past. You must endure it. The second movement of Ebenholtz is ultimately ‘Mana Assimilation’.”

Perfect assimilation between the body and mana.

It is a state in which mana is controlled and coordinated as delicately as the fingertips and toes.

“The first step of the second movement is the transformation of vision, so you may have seen illusions.”

First, a portion of the mana spread throughout the body is concentrated on the optic nerve, then further implants sight into the sensory perception of the skin. It erases the very concept of blind spots.

“The chronic illness of nobility is the back of the head. It has always been that way throughout history.”

Freya toyed with her dagger for a moment, then flicked it into the air.

“Over time, nobles, humans, become arrogant. The illusion that they are noble. The arrogance that they are truly chosen by the gods. In the end, in their complacency, they are stabbed and killed from the place they trusted most.”

She looked at me and tilted her head ever so slightly.

Whoosh─!

The dagger fell precisely on the crown of her head. The blade brushed past her earlobe and stuck into the ground.

It was as if she had seen it without looking.

No, she had truly seen it.

“People think mana is wholly theirs, but it’s not. It’s far more common for the body’s characteristics and the properties of mana not to match. That’s why you must assimilate mana with yourself. You must dye your mana with Ebenholtz.”

I closed my eyes.

Perhaps Freya’s lesson today was exactly what I needed.

The mana of the virus is different from mine. The virus operates in its own way, and that clashes with Ebenholtz.

To use an analogy, the virus is closer to primal mana.

In contrast, Ebenholtz is a more clearly refined, much purer flow.

“……Children of Ebenholtz are steeped in the highest concentration of mana that humans can handle from the moment they’re born.”

They mix natural mana condensed in its purest form with ingredients in a golden ratio and feed it to newborn children.

Like the hero in mythology who was dipped in the river of immortality, the bloodline of Ebenholtz also has a body tempered by mana.

“Hoo…….”

I regulated my breathing.

I overlaid the dormant pure silver mana within my body onto the virus, and then drew it up again to the optic nerve.

Whoooosh──

Suddenly, the world was dyed in white light.

The flow of the wind, the movement of the grass bugs, even the context of the leaves trembling behind my back.

What I could not be seen was now visible, what I could not hear was now audible.

─Where am I right now?

Freya’s voice echoed from all directions.

I thrust my wooden sword backward.

Whoosh!

It was a fleeting sensation of something brushing past.

I missed, but almost reached her.

─Yes. Good. Keep chasing, Maximilian.

Her laughter scattered in the air.

In a world dyed in moonlight, I swung my sword, following her presence that moved as if dancing.

Whooosh!

─Too short.

I extended my sword, but it didn’t reach her.

─Too short. At that rate, you’ll never touch me. It can’t be helped.

It’s only natural that I can’t reach her forever.

To reach her, it needs to be longer.

The moment I understood her words─

Tap.

Something caught on the tip of the wooden sword.

Rustle, it briefly tangled.

It was her hair.

─……Yes.

It was a voice that seemed satisfied. I looked back at Freya again.

She was already standing before me.

─Extension.

The wooden sword I had just swung. The blade of mana wrapped around it had lengthened.

─The mana assimilated with you becomes your blade. It becomes an extension of your consciousness, forming sword forms and trajectories unimaginable with an ordinary sword.

On the silver-shimmering mana blade, tap.

Freya placed her finger.

─It’s the first step to looking at the Heart Sword.

Gripping the wooden sword she had taken from me, Freya suddenly swung a stroke into the air. It condensed into a strange form, forming a crescent moon-like slash.

A page from Ebenholtz’s Secret Sword Technique, Moonlight Slash.

─It is the path leading to Ebenholtz’s secrets.

I looked at her and quietly nodded.

***

Early morning, Knight Order’s office.

I searched Yukia’s identity on the computer.

[ Identity Inquiry: Yukia Tariq ]

[ Race: Yaken ]

[ Birthplace: Western Border Region, Nomad Camp ]

[ Family: Father Eric Tariq, Mother Unknown ]

[ Notable: Expelled from the Imperial Academy ]

She, who is the same age as me, settled in the Empire five years ago, separated from her father. Her father passed away two years ago.

[ Eric Tariq ]

[ Race: Yaken ]

[ Origin: Yuek, Fallen Western Kingdom ]

[ Occupation: Guide ]

Her father, Eric Tariq, was a guide who roamed the continent.

Guide is a special occupation. There are still quite a few undiscovered regions on this continent. From the glaciers of the North Pole, to the frozen lands of the South Pole beyond the southern sea of the Empire, and even the great canyons infested with monsters in the West.

That’s why adventure is essentially a coming-of-age ceremony for nobles, and at Empire Point, it’s even part of the official curriculum.

Naturally, I had also gone on expeditions before, and the one who usually leads at the front of the party is the guide.

Yukia’s father died while guiding a noble.

The case file was sealed as Level 2 confidential, but I accessed it under knight privileges.

[ Case Summary: During the expedition of the western ‘Aufaran Forest,’ the guide misjudged the route, causing the expedition team to be isolated in a monster nest. Though the nobles survived due to the desperate efforts of the escort knights, the guide was presumed to have died while fleeing the scene. The body was not recovered. ]

[ Note: Lawsuit ongoing for breach of contract and damage compensation. ]

It was a predictable story. The nobles had brought disaster upon themselves through incompetence and recklessness, threw the guide as bait and fled. Then, upon return, they pinned the blame on him and shredded even his honor.

“Hmph…….”

I turned off the monitor.

To make a person wholly mine, I must not distinguish between means and methods. Sometimes I must pretend to be a savior, sometimes I must dig into wounds, and if necessary, I must be willing to use deception bordering on brainwashing.

I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

In an instant, a faint but alien sensation brushed against my skin.

─Tick. Tick.

The time of my soul, and within that absolute regularity, a faint ripple mixing in.

It was a very small wave, but the virus inside me did not miss it.

I smiled silently.

Eavesdropping, huh.

A mana with a subtly wild and stealthy feeling clinging to it. It was probably Yukia.

“…….”

It was a situation I could sufficiently exploit, so I decided not to block it.

From now on, surveillance and wiretapping would be part of my everyday life.

Just as I was watching them, they would watch me, and perhaps someone close to me as well.

I calmly looked out the window.

──Rustle. Rustle.

Before I knew it, heavy snow had begun to fall. With the destruction of Gigantes, autumn had come to an end, and winter had arrived.

This winter… I’m thinking of raising a dog.

There was a dog that was famous before the regression.

“Pfft.”

I smiled. These days, I occasionally feel small bits of happiness. There is someone besides me who can distinguish an Ezenheim. Just that fact alone made me feel as if I had found a clue, and it gave me confidence that I hadn’t been wrong.

It was truly a good thing.

…….

District 42

It was a visit to obtain information about Yukia and her father.

“I see. That’s a relief.”

There were quite a few children on the orphanage playground. They all had bright expressions. Their laughter was clear too.

Is it possible to see such expressions in the lower districts?

That thought suddenly came to mind, and I wondered if I was still, inevitably, a noble.

A child should be able to smile, no matter where or when. They ought to.

[Office]

Led by Entikkan, I entered the office. Inside, there were traditional Yaken furnishings decorated with coarse leather and bones, and a few old photos and frames hung on the walls.

Among them was “Eric Tariq”.

Yukia’s father, whom I had seen on the knight order’s monitor.

Also, the older brother of Entikkan Tariq.

“…….”

I stopped in front of that photo.

As if steeped in melancholy, I stared at the man in the picture with eyes holding old memories.

I didn’t say anything. I merely looked at it.

Natural acting is important.

I must not show deliberate signs.

Emotion must be conveyed in silence.

If I stared long enough like this, Entikkan would inevitably approach first with curiosity.

“Knight sir, the photo… why…”

“……Ah.”

I withdrew my gaze, pretending to come to my senses belatedly, and smiled faintly.

“It’s nothing. Just, a memory came to mind for a moment.”

Since Yukia’s most important person is undoubtedly her father, I now plan to build a network I don’t actually have.

Because the dead don’t speak.

“Please, have a seat.”

Entikkan quietly poured tea into a wooden cup.

I asked him a question.

“Just in case, let me ask… Mr. Entikkan, have you ever smelled something like rotten fishy scent from a person?”

“Rotten… what?”

Entikkan blinked.

I asked again.

“A rotten, fishy smell, anything distinctly different, a scent that feels alien from other people.”

“Uh…… are you talking about body odor?”

I don’t know. Judging by Yukia’s reaction, that smell must be clearly different from ordinary stench.

Entikkan shook his head.

“I’m sorry. I have rhinitis, so my nose doesn’t work very well.”

How does a Yaken even get rhinitis…

“Are you perhaps thinking something like, ‘How can a Yaken get rhinitis’?”

“…….”

I was caught.

I silently raised the teacup and moistened my lips. Entikkan smiled bitterly and continued.

“Thank you for taking Yukia in. She’s got a bit of a rebellious streak, but she’s definitely capable, so I’m sure she’ll be helpful.”

Clack.

As I set down the cup, I naturally shifted the topic.

“By the way, did Mr. Eric often communicate with either Yukia or yourself?”

I deliberately used the honorific “Mr.” As expected, Entikkan’s eyebrow twitched.

“……No. My brother wasn’t someone who talked much. Not about others, not even about himself. After sending Yukia to study in the Empire, he didn’t contact us for quite a while.”

That was fortunate, but it was also the typical stereotype of a Yaken guide. They are extremely taciturn and stoic.

Thanks to that, I have plenty of space I can fill in. It means I can proceed to the next step.

“……I see.”

Pretending to understand, I smiled faintly, at that moment.

“Are you acquainted with my brother?”

Entikkan asked, containing cautious certainty. It was the situation I had been waiting for.

However, I must not show too much.

I had to keep it as natural as possible.

I let out a small sigh and sank into the chair.

“To nobles, adventure is considered a virtue. They go on expeditions here and there from a young age to prove their strength. I too, whether by my will or not, went on expeditions at least once every year.”

To be honest, I don’t even know which guide I met back then.

But the exploration route preferred by Imperial nobles, the Western Border Region was set, and since most guides worked there, the chances of overlap were sufficient.

“Is that why… you helped us?”

Entikkan now looked as if he understood. His previously wolfish aura softened significantly.

I shook my head gravely.

“I don’t release someone reported as a suspect based on personal feelings alone.”

I was telling him to understand it as a knight’s official duty.

Entikkan nodded.

“……Yes. I’ll take it that way.”

Suddenly, a small wooden horn on the desk caught my eye.

“Yakens always make things like these.”

Yakens mostly make handicrafts. From wood, stone, whatever. I don’t know the reason. It’s supposedly a tradition passed down.

“Yes. This was something my brother made.”

Entikkan gave a bitter smile as he picked up the wooden horn.

“To a Yaken, this kind of item holds great meaning. They believe it proves one’s existence and soul, imbued with the mana of spirits.”

“Are they ever given as gifts?”

“Rarely. Only to siblings, or someone considered the same.”

I quietly listened to his words.

──Only gifted, occasionally, to siblings or someone of equivalent closeness.

Just now, I received a very big hint.

“Yes. Well then, since I’ve looked around the orphanage…”

I pulled out a checkbook from my coat.

“This is a donation.”

The moment he saw the amount, Entikkan’s eyes widened.

“This number… is this truly a donation with no strings attached?”

“Yes.”

He more than deserved it. Thanks to you, I just found a clear direction.

“It’s a donation with no conditions. Compared to what I’ve gained, this is nothing.”

I added a meaningfully loaded statement at the end.

Entikkan quietly looked at me and slowly nodded.

“……Thank you. I won’t refuse it.”

I smiled and stood up.

Entikkan and the orphanage staff saw me off, and I got into the driver’s seat of the car and called Schatz.

“Schatz. Something’s come up. We’re recovering a corpse.”

Eric Tariq.

His body was never recovered. It must still be buried somewhere in Aufaran Forest.

“Start with the noble who hired Eric Tariq two years ago. Dig around. I want every scrap of information brought to me.”

─Yes. Confirmed.

It would take some time, but it was a necessary process.

To obtain what is most needed, I will not spare any means or methods.