Semi-Coercive Imperialist

"Stinger Pharmacy"

"......"

The owner of Stinger Pharmacy, pharmacist John Stinger, blankly stared down at the paper he had just signed with his own hand.

"......"

Bundles of cash, bonds, and a top-grade mana stone lay before him.

They were the price of the contract.

At first, he had suspected a scam and tried to throw them out. But once the down payments piled up on the table, he seemed to have lost the ability to speak.

"......Gulp."

I asked him, "Do you have any regrets? You've already signed, but still."

"......"

He raised his eyes and looked at me. Blink. Blink. He wore the expression of someone who did not even understand what he had just heard.

"Regrets...... Why would I......?"

It was such an utterly sincere question that I almost laughed aloud.

As if he feared the contract would be revoked, he gathered all the valuables on the table into his arms.

"We're Imperial businessmen."

That was not an entirely pointless concern for me.

He was from Hailand, while I was Imperial. Cola itself would earn tens of thousands, hundreds of millions of times more than what lay on this table. But there was more to it than that.

It would soon become the drink of Imperial soldiers.

Your invention would sweep across my homeland, then the entire continent.

"......You're Imperial? Your Hail language was so fluent."

I answered with a smile.

"If you'd like to change your mind now..."

"No, not at all. With terms like these, there's no reason for me not to sell. If anything...... How did you even know to find me?"

Stinger's curiosity seemed to have caught up with him at last.

Looking him straight in the eye, I answered, "I happened to drink it once before."

Dieter, standing beside me, suddenly turned his gaze toward me.

"It tasted good. The memory stayed with me, so I came looking for it."

"......Oh ho. I suppose I got lucky."

It was not a lie.

The first time I tasted it in my life before returning, I had been wealthy. The last time, I had been homeless.

There had been a time when I drank it from a glass, and another when I drank the dregs from bottles others had thrown away.

Even as my status changed and the seasons passed, that taste remained the same in my memories.

Was that why it was a product?

"Either way, I've already signed! Even if you come back later and tell me to hand all this back...... I won't!"

He looked ready to move out that very night.

I smiled faintly. "Don't worry. We're going to build a business around this drink. You'll receive royalties too."

0.1%.

The rate was minuscule, but as a sign of respect for a great man, it was more than enough.

"I, I don't need them......"

Stinger was a timid man. He seemed more fearful than I had expected.

Maybe he had never been someone capable of handling cola in the first place.

Or perhaps the thing he had created had simply become too enormous.

"Anyway! The contract is finished! You can't take it back!"

Misunderstanding my gaze, Stinger bristled like a hedgehog.

"I won't."

I packed the original recipe, concentrate, and ingredient samples into my bag.

"Then take care of your health. I'll come see you again later."

Slosh.

As I left the pharmacy, the man's dazed farewell followed behind me as he clutched the bundles of bills.

In the future before my return, that black drink would become a symbol of Hailand, conquer the continent's tongues, and eventually be counted among the most perfect products humanity had ever made.

Now, it belonged to the Empire.

......No, it belonged to me.

* * *

The six people Gonzalo had arbitrarily named the Yaken Expedition kept walking and stopping as they crossed the mountain range.

Before climbing a ridge, they always lay flat and surveyed the land below. When crossing a valley, they ran one at a time with gaps between them.

During the day, they slept in the shadows of rocks or in caves, and they mostly traveled after sunset.

"Hoo...... It's cold. So damn cold."

They were currently hiding in a crevice at the foot of the mountain, five of them huddled together for warmth.

A shadow silently slipped through the snowfall toward them.

"Hey. How is it?"

It was Falcon, the Yaken scout.

Without even catching his breath, he immediately gave his report.

"The inspections are too strict. They have hunting dogs, and more soldiers are passing through. I listened in, and they're looking for deserters who escaped with two Yaken. Descriptions have been circulated too. A mustached sergeant and a Yaken couple."

"Ooh......"

Just as expected of a Yaken. Falcon had brushed past the sentries, picked up the conversation, and carried every word back without missing a thing.

Could Yaken really hear conversations from dozens of meters away just by standing downwind?

"That's incredible."

Gonzalo marveled.

The more time they spent together, the more trust they inspired. They had never lost the path, even in a blizzard. They found streams by scent, and now they could gather intelligence too.

There was clearly a reason Imperial knights kept them close.

"......Is this really the time to be impressed?"

Ricardo grumbled. The other squad members wore equally irritated expressions.

"What are we going to do? They even unleashed hunting dogs to search for us. We're deserters beyond any doubt now."

Gonzalo fell into thought.

Honestly, even Gonzalo had not expected things to get this bad. He had begun to realize they were seriously screwed.

But a commander could never show fear.

"Hoo......"

He took out a cigarette, then sighed and put it away again.

Tobacco carried both scent and light.

"......This was bound to happen anyway."

"What?"

"What are you talking about? Let's go back now and tell them it was a misunderstanding!"

"Yeah! All this suffering because of one scent a Yaken picked up..."

"I told you, that fucking captain!"

As the squad members' complaints threatened to explode, Gonzalo ground his teeth and spoke with even greater fury.

"He meant to steal our reward from the beginning! Look at this whole damn mess! Republican bastards are still alive and running around, but does it make sense for them to cause this much chaos just to catch us?!"

Their response was far too excessive.

"They're making such a fuss because they've got something to hide. Even if we hadn't run, they would've pinned some crime on us! That captain already had a bad reputation. There were rumors everywhere that he'd been skimming reward money, you know that?!"

In truth, Gonzalo had never heard such rumors.

But this was how command worked.

What frightened subordinates needed was certainty. The certainty that their choice had been right.

That certainty did not need a source. Even a convincing lie was enough to keep the ranks from falling apart.

"......Then what do we do now?"

The youngest member asked.

Even if they found another unit and explained their situation, the chances of things working out were low. A deserter's testimony versus an official document from a field command post captain. There was no need to ask which one the army would believe.

They would be caught and killed before they ever reached central Zerpha.

"What do you think we do?"

Gonzalo jerked his chin toward the southeast, beyond the snow-covered ridge.

No matter which way they went by land, they would run into a net of sentries. But Zerpha had another route besides land.

The sea.

The coast had once been under the control of those Republican idiots, but after the southern recapture, it belonged to the Royalist faction again.

Ports where the administration and garrisons had yet to properly settle in, leaving everything in disarray.

That sea also led to the Empire.

"We...... are going to the Empire."

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

"......"

Five pairs of eyes turned toward him at once.

They looked at him as though he were insane, and honestly, it was an insane thing to say.

"What are those looks for? Can you call yourselves a squad like this? If you've got another way, say it!"

Everyone fell silent.

The more they thought about it, the more it seemed this was their only option.

They had already passed the point of no return over Yaken reward money.

"See? Stop worrying and trust me!"

As if he had known they would agree, Gonzalo deliberately put on a confident front and thumped his chest.

"Seamanship is my specialty, you know that! I used to be a marine!"

......

The southeastern coast of Zerpha.

Whoosh.

Several pairs of military boots trampled the sandy beach where the winter sea rolled in and crashed.

"It seems they left for the Merdia Sea through here."

The fishing village residents all gave the same account. Men in uniform had burst in at dawn, requisitioned a fishing boat, and sailed out.

At gunpoint, the boat's owner had received nothing but a sheet of paper carelessly scrawled with the words, "Kingdom Army Requisition Certificate."

"Unauthorized requisition...... No, at this point, isn't that just robbery?"

"Colonel. We should send an official notice to the main force."

At the words of Sesk, the field command post captain who had led the pursuit, the lieutenant colonel pressed a hand to their temple.

"How exactly have you been managing the front?"

"My apologies."

"What are the casualties?"

"They escaped with the two Yaken we were protecting, and two guards were killed."

The incident had already been fabricated.

The two Yaken had been under the protection of Captain Sesk's command post, but Gonzalo and his subordinates had come and stolen them away.

And on top of that...

"Why the Yaken?"

"They may be planning to use them as bait to gain Imperial citizenship, but...... In truth, a large number of Yaken bodies were found near the mountain range."

They were pinning an even greater crime on them.

The lieutenant colonel frowned.

"You're saying they did that too?"

"The circumstances suggest so."

"There's no reason for it. The reward only comes if they bring Yaken in alive."

"......That changes if they're Republican collaborators. It's a Ranger squad, Colonel."

The Rangers were Zerpha's special forces, formed by gathering hunters, poachers, mountain folk, and seafarers, people who had spent their lives in the mountains and on the water.

But as their backgrounds suggested, they came from disreputable backgrounds and their identities were difficult to verify. Most had been accepted without ideological screening solely because of their exceptional abilities.

That made them hard to trust.

The lieutenant colonel looked out at the horizon with a troubled expression.

"Contact the navy first and put out an alert for coastal patrols."

The lieutenant colonel clicked their tongue and continued.

"If they escaped, they must be heading toward the Empire by sea...... I happen to know someone in the Imperial army as well. I'll get in touch."

"Yes. Loyalty."

The captain gave a crisp salute and withdrew.

After taking three steps away, Sesk spoke quietly to the adjutant waiting behind.

"The lieutenant colonel is writing to the Empire. Find out who the recipient is before it's sent. There should be comrades near that person who can carry out the order......"

Kill every Yaken.

That was the new order given to them.

* * *

After buying cola, I spent a long time sightseeing around Hailand's famous attractions. It was only the following evening that I returned to the suite of the finest hotel.

"Scholars will have room to develop the flavor further."

I poured cola concentrate into a glass of carbonated water packed with ice, using the proper ratio.

I stirred it gently and took a sip.

"Ah......"

I closed my eyes with a familiar sigh of satisfaction.

For a moment, the memories and emotions of that day brushed across my tongue.

During my homeless days, I could not afford to buy it. Until now, it had not existed, so I could not get it.

"If it has a little more bite and depth......"

Once a few things were added to the original, the taste I remembered would be complete.

It was a taste I could not have even begun to recreate without knowing the original.

"Dieter. Try it."

I handed the glass to Dieter.

"Yes."

Dieter took a sip. Gulp.

"......"

A brief silence.

Then another sip. Gulp.

For this taciturn man, two sips were no different from applause. It must have been that new a flavor.

I watched his reaction closely and asked, "What do you think?"

"......It tastes good."

Dieter's eyes gleamed faintly as he answered.

"That's as good as perfect coming from you."

I smiled to myself and stepped out onto the balcony.

The evening wind blew through Hailand. Colorful brick houses stretched endlessly across the city.

The lights of cargo ships glided slowly along the river that cut through downtown, while a great clock tower somewhere announced the hour with an extremely irritating sound.

"......It's snowing."

Softly, softly.

Snowflakes settled in white, as though decorating the entire area.

The scene carried the distinctive tranquility of an island nation.

"Sir Knight."

Dieter suddenly called to me from behind.

Before I could even turn around, he asked, "Can you see the future?"

......For a moment, my heart stopped.

Dieter Schmidt was as thoughtful as he was taciturn.

He had no empty flattery or social awareness, but he was the sort of person who stacked up numbers and went straight to a conclusion. A man who entrusted himself only to verified reality.

That was why he did not make jokes. He was not even the sort of person who understood them.

This was a sincere question born of countless thoughts and deliberations.

Leaning against the railing, I turned to look at him.

"......The future?"

"Yes."

Dieter had carried out every one of my instructions over the past several years.

The stocks bought before they rose. The bonds sold before they crashed. The factories built before they became necessary. Even an obscure pharmacy on the outskirts of Hailand's capital, a place I had never visited even once.

Once was luck. Twice was good judgment.

But if someone was right dozens of times, a person who kept ledgers could not help taking an interest in those odds.

It was an honest question fitting for an accountant.

Perhaps it was the question I had secretly wanted him to ask.

That was why my answer was also...

"That's right."

It was simply honest.

"I lived through the future and came back, Dieter Schmidt."

* * *

The Merdia Sea.

A sea where waves rose like mountains and rainstorms poured down in sheets.

A small fishing boat was cutting through those violent waters.

Bang! Bangbangbang!

Bullets rained in from behind. Kingdom Navy patrol boats had caught up with them.

"Keep going!"

Bang! Ratatat!

Gonzalo shouted as though trying to swallow the gunfire.

"Just keep going! We're almost there!"

"Sergeant! The engine, the engine!"

Gonzalo gritted his teeth at the youngest member's words.

Black smoke poured from the engine. It rattled like a cough, then gradually fell silent.

Roar!

The bow, robbed of propulsion, spun freely as the waves pushed it around. Seawater poured aboard and rose to their ankles.

The youngest member frantically bailed water with a pot, while Ricardo lay against the gunwale and returned fire at their enemies.

Crash!

With every flash of lightning, the patrol boats behind them drew closer and closer.

"Over there!"

At some point, Falcon, the Yaken who had stood stiffly at the bow, pointed into the heart of the storm.

"There's another ship! It's huge!"

"Where?!"

"That way!"

"......"

Gonzalo could see nothing through the darkness and wall of rain.

But if a Yaken said there was something there, then there had to be.

"Everyone, grab the oars!"

They all picked up thick branches they had loaded as makeshift oars.

Their ends had been carved blunt like duck feet. Gonzalo had made the Yaken carve them in preparation for the possibility of the engine failing.

"Push!"

The six of them clung to the sides of the boat and rowed.

"Pull!"

Crash!

The waves lifted the boat, then slammed it back down.

Each time, the branches bent as though they would break. The skin on their palms tore away.

"Push!"

The six repeated the motion, pushing and pulling with all their strength, until their arms began to lose all feeling.

Flash!

Lightning split the sky.

Thanks to that brief white light, they all saw it.

Half the darkness they had thought lay ahead.

A steel warship.

Hooooonk!

The great ship's horn smothered the storm. Everyone in the expedition covered their ears.

"AOEN IS COMA DIQL KIZURA"

"AOEN IS COMA DIQL KIZURA, ONE, TOW, TRREE......"

A voice boomed down from the distant deck.

The pronunciation was strange and heavy, tangled with the sound of the waves. It was a language they could barely understand, but...

"I, it's Imperial language!"

It was definitely Imperial language.

They jumped up and down on the fishing boat, waving both arms.

"Empire! Empire!"

"We're friendly forces! We're the Zerpha Royal Army!"

Soldiers in naval caps lined the warship's railing, aiming their guns down at the little fishing boat.

"Here! Here! Save us!"

"Please save us!"

"Quasi-applicable bloodline! We have a family register too!"

What should they shout? None of them knew Imperial language.

After considering it, Gonzalo bet on the one word understood everywhere.

"Yaken! Yaken! Yaken!"

He hurriedly pulled the Yaken couple forward by their arms.

Only then did the reaction on the deck change.

"Oh! Oh!"

The guns pointed at them lowered. Short commands were exchanged, then a searchlight came on.

A blinding beam shone directly onto the fishing boat.

The gunfire behind them had already stopped, and the ship began retrieving them.

"Quickly! Quickly!"

Whoosh.

A lifeline weighted with a sandbag flew in an arc and landed against the side of the boat.

Gonzalo tied it to the fishing boat. The boat was slowly pulled toward the warship.

"A ladder! A ladder!"

Rattle.

A thick net ladder unfurled and came down.

"Let's go! Ma'am first! Don't let go, no matter what!"

The Yaken wife grabbed the net ladder first, while the sailors on deck hauled her up together with it.

Then came the youngest member, then Falcon. Each time someone climbed, Imperial soldiers reached out and pulled them over the railing.

Gonzalo remained behind until the end, holding the boat in place.

When his turn came and he grabbed the netting...

Crack!

The fishing boat split apart in the waves and drifted away.

Gonzalo struggled upward and barely managed to collapse onto the deck.

"Haa, haa...... We made it......"

"Ah, I'm fucking dead......"

"That crazy bastard Gonzalo......"

"......Who said that just now? Don't even think about getting a share of the reward."

"Fuck off......"

On the deck, the six lay swollen like waterlogged sponges, gasping for breath.

Imperial sailors stood in a circle around them, looking down.

Footnotes:

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