Semi-Coercive Imperialist

The Imperial Central Special Court was steeped in silence.

Maximilian's administrative officers entered the room where even the judge, the prosecutor, and Nico at the defendant's stand held their breath.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Bound evidence files were set down one by one on the judge's and prosecutor's desks.

Then.

"Your Honor. May I begin the defense?"

With a knight named Maximilian attending as counsel, the trial was nothing more than an empty formality. Still, procedures like this became justification. The evidence submitted here would also be sent to the palace, arguing that the coming "disposition" was justified.

"......Proceed."

Maximilian began in a low voice.

"Your Honor. How much do you know about the chemical company Alchemia?"

One by one, people began filing into the gallery.

The room filled with them.

The Imperial Guard had secured the courtroom in advance, but that no longer meant a thing.

"Alchemia is a company that receives imperial tax support to research defense technology. Yet beneath the surface, it is stained with corruption and misconduct......"

They had relabeled low-grade mana stones from the East and distributed them as imperial products. They had embezzled imperial taxes and deceived imperial workers.

As Maximilian laid out those charges, Nico watched with a blank expression.

Even now, this moment felt like a dream to him.

Or perhaps the afterlife.

"......These are the autopsy results of the deceased."

Maximilian raised a document high.

"The Alchemia explosion occurred at the point when midnight turned to dawn, and a workday became a holiday. Ordinary workers would not have been on duty, and the researchers should have all gone home by then."

That was why Nico Beber's attack had caused no civilian casualties, no pure Aran casualties.

"Simply remaining in the factory basement at that hour is suspicious enough. But what is even more surprising is their identities."

The identities of the dead, in other words, their race.

"A thorough examination of the bodies confirmed that every one of them was a subspecies."

The courtroom stirred.

Inspector Fried quietly rose from his seat in the gallery. Detective Gavin stared at him blankly.

"Inspector, where are you going?"

"......"

Without a word, Fried left the courtroom as Maximilian's clear voice continued.

"As defendant Nico Beber claimed, they were imperial traitors who should never have been there in the first place......"

Under the Imperial Citizens Act, every national strategic industry receiving imperial support could employ only Aran people. If subspecies had infiltrated a key facility tied to national defense and those in charge had known but left them there, that alone was a grave crime.

"......Based on this evidence, I argue that defendant Nico Beber is innocent."

Maximilian looked at the judge.

The judge could not bring himself to meet his eyes.

......

It should have taken days to analyze and deliberate over the enormous amount of evidence presented by the defense.

"Since the defense's argument is deemed highly reasonable."

The prosecutor had sought the death penalty, and the judge had been leaned on.

"The court finds defendant Nico Beber not guilty."

None of those facts mattered anymore.

To survive, to cling to his own life somehow.

He had to discard those weaker than himself.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

An obvious acquittal had been declared.

Maximilian nodded with a small smile. To the judge, that faint expression felt like a sign that he would be allowed to live.

"......You did well, Nico."

Maximilian offered Nico a handshake, but unfortunately, Nico fainted before he could take it.

* * *

Maximilian sent a formal cooperation request to Sentinel leadership.

The operation was called Leakage of Malice.

Attached to the document were recordings that administrative officer Hans Wenzel had personally obtained while disguised as a lawyer, recordings of the Imperial Guard and Georgen.

The Sentinel immediately turned its blades on Georgen and Martin Himler.

"Sir, Lieutenant General. An urgent communication from the Order......"

"......"

Lieutenant General Martin Himler swallowed dryly and took the receiver.

"......Martin Himler speaking."

"Yes, Lieutenant General Himler."

A calm voice came through the receiver.

Its owner was Maximilian.

"Have you heard the news?"

A single word from the young knight seemed to grip his heart.

"......I've heard, but I truly, truly know nothing about it."

His hands came together on their own.

Before he knew it, he was pleading.

"Hm. That is possible. I understand."

A voice saying it understood.

Himler swallowed.

"Then......"

"May I consider this Georgen's independent act?"

Himler turned the words over in his mind.

He considered their meaning.

His thoughts raced wildly until one word flashed through his mind.

The Gennen Society!

Georgen had investigated them and brought down two general officers.

Maximilian had not forgotten that grudge.

"......Yes. It was all Georgen's independent act."

Having organized his thoughts, Himler prepared himself to cut off one of his own arms.

......

Sentinel, Maximilian's office.

Heinrich, director of Georgen, had been summoned before Maximilian.

"We have met before."

At the indifferent greeting, Heinrich forced a smile.

"......Yes. We have. It is good to see-"

"The investigation is mostly complete."

He placed thick documents on the table.

"There were quite a lot of people involved in Alchemia's corruption. I have organized the fund-tracing results and the evidence of smuggling."

Heinrich's hand visibly trembled as he accepted the documents.

Maximilian watched him and smiled faintly.

"Then, would you like to make a request now?"

"......Pardon?"

"Submit a direct appeal to Her Imperial Highness Princess Justine, or to His Majesty the Emperor."

"......"

Heinrich's expression went blank for a moment.

Maximilian casually gestured and continued.

"Ask them to spare you, to forgive you just once. If you bring me that answer, I will gladly comply as well."

Only then did Director Heinrich realize it.

What Maximilian's personal grudge had been.

Why he had protected a mere commoner.

"......Sir Knight, during the Gennen Society case, I had no choice but to make that decision-"

"That is the burden of being in charge."

Maximilian cut him off.

The documents listed every key figure in Georgen, including Deputy Director Valerian of House Taxis.

"Director Heinrich. For the Empire's sake, I cut away the people who needed to be cut away."

Maximilian had killed the Gennen Society's general officers because of Georgen.

Of course, the Gennen Society itself meant nothing to him. They were nothing but a regular army faction of no use to him.

The problem was that Georgen had targeted him first.

If he let it pass even so, they would stop fearing him.

"You need to do the same."

So Maximilian had no intention of letting them off.

"For the order of the Empire."

His eyes curved like crescents.

* * *

I moved people.

As Engi had once said, I made people of my own, and they had now become my sharpest weapon.

"Major Lucan of the Imperial Guard Central Inspection Bureau. You are under arrest for treason and accepting bribes."

"What kind of bullshit is this? Who the hell are you?! Do you know who I am?!"

Everyone involved with Alchemia either struggled, gave up, or resisted.

Those who had strutted around with power at their backs all reacted much the same way.

"Do you know who I am before you pull this shit?! Do you?!"

They worshipped the law of the strong devouring the weak. They loved that logic when trampling others, but when they themselves were about to be devoured, they let out weak cries.

"Yes. This is a Sentinel summons. You can speak there."

"......What? Wh, what are you talking-"

"Come with us."

Just one sentence.

The mere announcement of that affiliation broke their spirit.

"......Deputy Director Valerian von Taxis."

Valerian von Taxis. Heir to House Taxis, one of the great names in the imperial center, and an ambitious man in his early thirties who had passed through the Imperial Guard before taking Georgen's deputy director seat.

He stood before the man across from him, speechless.

"Hans Wenzel."

Hans Wenzel. The man who had visited him as the lawyer Thomas Idunas smiled as he tossed away his fake glasses.

"I am from the Sentinel Order, Sir Knight Maximilian's First Department. A senior administrative officer."

An administrative officer.

The brilliant honor of House Taxis and the high office of Georgen deputy director were crushed beneath a mere administrative officer of Maximilian's.

"We have met before, haven't we?"

Valerian's face twisted with shame and fear.

"Ah, don't worry. Sir Knight loves principles, so Deputy Director Valerian will be dealt with very honestly, according to the severity of his crimes."

Hans swept his gaze over the empty office.

Nearly all the records had already been seized as evidence.

"Nothing will be added, and nothing will be taken away."

"......"

Valerian von Taxis ground his teeth.

Words like How dare you kept circling in his mouth.

He wanted to spit on him, stomp him into the ground, beat him to death right there.

"Ah. Sir Knight asked me to make sure I passed this on."

The man smiled as he added,

"Even if you tell your father, it will be no use this time."

* * *

Scrape, scrape.

I carefully cleaned between my teeth with dental floss.

Gurgle, gurgle.

I rinsed with water and spat.

Rush.

I let the water run into the sink.

Click.

I put my dentures into my clean mouth.

Brush, brush.

I roughly swept back the brown hair reflected in the mirror.

Rustle.

I picked up the wallet on the shelf.

A worn leather folding wallet. Inside it were an identification card and a family register.

"......"

I took out the ID and checked it.

[ Eli Zella ]

A Mer born in Skashi, Hailand, who had immigrated to the western Empire.

From now on, as Eli, I would board a smuggling ship at the port.

"I am Eli Zella. I'm from Hailand."

After practicing the distinctive pronunciation of someone with mixed heritage, I changed clothes.

An old suit and worn-out shoes. A suitcase and a pouch of bribes.

With everything perfectly arranged, I left the room.

After the Alchemia incident, Victor Heim, the businessman at its center, vanished like a ghost.

But the hint left behind by those Izenheim bastards from the Revolutionary Faction remained clear in my memory.

【 0820. Western Third Port. Together. 】

Western Third Port.

The investigation suggested that the smuggling trade was thriving around there.

Subspecies fleeing the Empire's blade, foreigners, Mer, ideological criminals and political prisoners with nowhere else to go.

The desperate hearts of those who wanted to escape the prison called the Empire gathered at the port.

If Izenheim's core was moving, they would surely use that route.

I headed for the train platform.

Thump.

As I sat on the bench waiting, I could already sense a strong Izenheim presence.

Thump.

Before long, the train arrived.

It was a local train connected to Western Third Port. I climbed aboard, leaned against the window, and settled into my seat.

"Tickets, please."

I held out my ticket to the inspector who had suddenly appeared.

The moment the inspector confirmed that I was Mer, the inspector's face hardened.

"Tch."

As though even touching it was filthy, they tossed the ticket back to me.

......Hatred was spreading.

It was never pleasant when hatred spread from one point to another, but it was an unavoidable necessity.

A sacrifice for humanity's survival.

I carried a sense of debt and guilt toward every people other than Izenheim.

If we won our war, it would be a debt we would absolutely have to repay......

Far too great a debt.

Screeeech.

The train reached its destination.

"Hm...... where was it again?"

I had already obtained the method for smuggling from my informants.

At the port, where the smell of sea mixed with oil, I headed behind a particularly secluded warehouse in the already hidden D Sector.

"......"

I spotted someone.

A woman pretending to work, wearing a blue beret pulled low over her face.

I approached and handed her a pouch of bribes filled with valuables.

After weighing the pouch in her hand, she said shortly,

"......Family register."

This one checked family registers too.

But the purpose was the complete opposite of the Empire's. She was trying to filter out pure Aran.

I handed her the family register I had prepared.

She inspected it for forgery with a monocle and asked,

"Eli. Western Hailand, from Skashi. Say it. In Hail language."

"Yes. I am Eli Zella. I was born in Skashi and lived in Eden for about ten years."

It was the regional accent of Skashi, Hailand.

I had practiced the pronunciation intensely for weeks.

"When did you come to the Empire?"

"I immigrated twenty years ago."

Skashi had a uniquely distinct nasal tone and intonation.

That made it a particularly difficult identity to imitate.

"......Hah. Good. I'm from Hailand too. You really are one of those westerners."

She gave a quiet laugh, rummaged through the pouch, took only one watch, and handed the rest back.

"Keep your belongings. This is enough for the ticket."

There was a sense of kinship hidden beneath her blunt tone.

Beyond her sharp gaze, I could feel rough but genuine goodwill.

She was probably with the Revolutionary Faction.

"Thank you."

"You bought it, so why are you thanking me? Here, take the ticket first. Departure is tomorrow, so rest nearby and come back later."

She handed me a boarding ticket.

"Yes. Then I'll be going."

Trudge, trudge.

I turned away and headed for the port marked on the ticket.

I had been walking along the filthy docks for some time when,

"......?"

At some point, the scenery around me completely changed.

Instead of the fishy stench, expensive perfume hung in the air. The people's clothing grew excessively extravagant. The speech and laughter of imperial nobles rang out all around.

At the end of that crowd stood a massive wall of steel that seemed large enough to fill the sea.

Titan

"......Titan?"

I repeated the strangely familiar name of the passenger ship, far too large to be a smuggling vessel.

Thump!

The virus beneath my collarbone stirred violently.

My ribs shook for a moment.

This was not the reaction of just one or two people.

The reaction was coming from all across the passenger ship......

"......Fuck."

Countless Izenheim were lurking over there, enough to make bile rise in my throat.

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