I sat in the mansion’s study, quietly compiling a kill list. ─── 1. Johann: Vice President of Golden Gate Trading. 2. Forn Sommer: Lieutenant Colonel of the Imperial Guard. 3. Gero Paten: Bank President of Western Zefston. 4. Mario Chalmer...... ─── They were the Ezenheim race individuals identified during the charity event. I hope they’re members of the revolutionary forces. If that were the case, they would have left some trace, and I could eliminate them without much difficulty. Knock knock- Just then, someone knocked on the door. “Come in.” It was Schatz. She approached with a much healthier complexion and graceful movements than before. It seemed she had received quite intense professional training at the main castle. “This is the target list.” I handed her the kill list. “These five. Keep steady surveillance on them.” “Yes.” “How’s the professional training at the castle?” “It’s been extremely helpful for us.” The person in charge of their education is Enzi. There is no one in this world I trust as much as Enzi,- at least, not yet. “Then, go enjoy yourself today.” “I’m fine.” “It’s not for you. It’s for your team.” I wrote out a check and handed it to her. “You’re the leader of a team now. You need to learn how to take care of your subordinates.” “......Yes. Thank you.” A faint smile flickered at the corner of Schatz’s mouth. “How’s the branch office in Genen coming along?” “It’s nearly complete. It’ll be operating officially starting next week.” Soon, a “branch office” would be running in Genen. It means a space established with separate knight authority, or to put it simply, a forward base. “Schatz. A few years from now, your enemy will come to that place.” Schatz stared quietly at me. A strange light shimmered in her transparent eyes. Her thirst for revenge had frozen over quite coldly. “Yes. I’ll be waiting for that day.” “Alright. You can go.” Schatz left. I turned back to the table. The next batch of tasks consisted of numerous investment proposals from the Canilan Independent State. Their efforts to appeal to high-level investors... essentially, their attempts to leech money off of me. “Canilan.” Canilan was a country worth exploiting. Even before the regression, they had consistently claimed to be strictly neutral. Because their top priority wasn’t ideology or honor, but only “money”. But precisely because of that, Canilan would soon face a major crisis. “What was it, again?” Compared to the Empire, Canilan had an abnormally developed financial industry. But endlessly greedy capital would soon give rise to a very vulgar limitation. An economic depression caused by human desire. I retraced my memory with the help of the virus. ──[Canilan Economic Review]── The Tower of Greed Has Collapsed – Questioning the Root of Canilan’s Financial Collapse Canilan’s growth has ended. This island nation, once dreaming of becoming the continent’s top financial hub, suddenly faced the nightmare of a downfall....... (Omitted) ......Canilan’s banks handed out massive loans to tech venture companies and real estate developers. The only collateral offered were non-existent future technology patents, or undeveloped barren plots of land that had just broken ground. It was, in essence, speculative and high-risk non-performing loans. Instead of holding onto these dangerous loan securities, the banks chopped them up and mixed them. Then they cleverly repackaged them with safe bonds issued by reputable companies to create derivative products with a fancy name, “Corporate Asset-Backed Securities”. Investors poured in money without suspicion. An endless cycle of roundabout transactions and astronomical bonuses for finance company executives. Under the guise of market autonomy, Canilan turned a blind eye to all this madness....... Then suddenly, everything collapsed. A series of defaults occurred, and the bomb of worthless derivative products swallowed up the Canilan economy. ─── Right now, Canilan is full of bubbles, and it’s only a matter of time before they burst. It was also the main reason Canilan insisted on neutrality during the war. They needed to sell weapons to the Empire to make money. I plan to sell off Canilan’s stocks at their peak and then bet on their collapse. Ding- A message came to the terminal. [Tomorrow night at 10. The garden outside the Magic Tower.] [Come retrieve the head.] It was Ezell. Brain-Eater. There was not much time left to eliminate the enemies of the Empire. *** Rest area on the middle floor of the Magic Tower. Ezell Runsellot was sitting, drinking coffee. She was waiting for someone. “Oh, Mage Pexi! Over here!” Pexi approached from across the room. The way Ezell had managed to keep hold of her until now was simple. “I’ve figured out a new spell.” While conducting the same research in the same lab, she slowly revealed investigative content related to the Brain-Eater. If Pexi were the culprit, she would show interest in any suspicions directed at the Brain-Eater, and indeed, she kept hovering around Ezell. “A new spell?” “Yes. Come this way first.” Ezell stood up naturally, got on the elevator, and handed her a piece of paper with the spell written on it. “「Chimera Brain」?” “Yes. I mentioned it last time, didn’t I? There must be a reason why the Brain-Eater specifically consumes brains at regular intervals. This spell fits that exactly.” Ding. The elevator arrived at the first floor. Walking side by side with Pexi, Ezell repeated what she had told Max. “......so in order to maintain its physical form, it has to absorb brain energy. According to my calculations, the next murder by the Brain-Eater will happen no later than next month.” As they exited the Magic Tower, Ezell turned her back to Pexi. Moments like this were nerve-wracking, even for her. She might have her brain eaten. “I see. That’s convincing.” But Pexi didn’t attack her. Instead, she walked ahead and gave a gentle smile. “Did you tell the police?” “No. It’s still just a theory.” She didn’t look like the culprit at all on the surface, but Ezell was already halfway convinced. In fact, in the handwritten script of the document Ezell had given Pexi, one character had been written ambiguously on purpose. “「'Ca'mera Brain」” Faint, but it could be read as “Chi” or “Ca”. Camera and Chimera. Which would one be more familiar with? Even for a wizard, “camera” would be more familiar. When she asked ten people in the same way, all of them read it as the Imperial word for “camera”. All except one, Pexi. “I’ll help with the calculations too. The margin of error might change.” Pexi willingly offered her help, but Ezell gave a bitter smile and shook her head. “......No. That won’t be necessary.” From the shadows, another figure emerged. The streetlamp lit him up. A knight of Sentinel, Maximilian. Pexi’s eyes widened. “Knight?” Appearing without delay, Maximilian faced Pexi and handed her a document stamped with the Sentinel seal. At the same time, he cuffed her wrist. It was mana shackles that disrupted mana flow. “Pexi von Arzen.” Maximilian called her name. “As of today, you are being detained for thirty-five days.” There was no need to state any further legal grounds. This was a unique authority granted only to knights within the Empire. ...... I have detained Sentio Magic Tower 5th-tier Wizard ‘Pexi von Arzen’ in the underground prison of the Knight Order. As this was an unprecedented action, the Magic Tower immediately sent a letter of concern. Her backer, Jun Kandel, was reportedly furious. But the reason he hasn’t acted rashly yet- is it because of his younger sibling’s dissuasion? Or because of his own dignity? For now, I had a meeting scheduled with Deputy Commander Anton. “.......” Across from me, Anton looked at me with a rather serious expression. “Knight Maximilian. You’re the first knight to order the detention of a wizard from the Sentio Magic Tower. And without any reason, at that.” “There is a reason.” “There’s no evidence.” I nodded. “I understand. But the Brain-Eater has killed eight Imperial citizens so far. Two of them were nobles, and one was a child. To prevent further victims, I had no choice but to take this approach.” “......Because there’s no evidence?” “Yes. Precisely because there’s no evidence, I chose to use the knight’s authority to obtain evidence.” “By detaining her, you can get evidence? Are you saying you’ll fabricate it openly?” Anton’s face, rarely, showed anger. “That’s not what I mean.” I handed Anton the magic circle and formulas for 「Chimera Brain」. “Pexi von Arzen is not Pexi von Arzen. Within the next thirty-five days, she will completely transform into someone else.” “......Transform?” “Yes. She is a criminal who consumed the brain of the original Pexi von Arzen through this forbidden magic.” Anton looked at me quietly. “Can I take it, then, that you do not intend to fabricate evidence?” “As a noble of the Empire, I have never even considered doing something so disgraceful.” Of course, I had considered it. A faint sigh escaped from Anton. “The Magic Tower is a very powerful institution. Even we cannot treat them carelessly. Nor should we. And in this case, the person involved is a 5th-tier wizard already slated for promotion to 6th-tier.” “That’s fine.” “And why is that?” “Because I am an Ebenholtz.” Anton’s eyes widened as if in disbelief. He studied my face for a moment, then asked, “Is this also for the Empire?” Facing him, I smiled. “......Deputy Commander.” The Brain-Eater is an Ezenheim who, if not stopped now, will rise into the Empire’s upper echelons. "My beliefs and principles operate only for the Empire." Therefore, when the chance comes, I must strike and kill. ...... CRASH─! Porcelain shattered. It was the rare white porcelain that Jun Kandel had won in an auction for a hefty sum. He screamed and destroyed everything in reach. Mana surged from the furious wizard’s body. “Don’t be too angry.” Jun paused at the calm voice. He snapped his head around and glared at his younger sibling. “How can I not be angry? That bastard Maximilian!” “There’s no reason to be angry. At least not for us.” “What? You-” “Did you actually intend to marry that woman?” Jun Kandel clenched his teeth. His sibling tilted their head slightly. “Did you really? Were you seriously thinking of marrying a mere borderland noble wizard?” “.......” Jun’s lips were sealed shut. The sibling asked softly again. “And, are you so certain? They seem pretty sure on their side.” “Certain about what?” “Certain that she’s innocent. Didn’t you ever notice anything strange about her while staying by her side?” Images flashed through Jun’s mind. Coughing up blood now and then, pressing her temples claiming headaches, secretly slipping away to vomit... those fragile, delicate appearances. “She said it was a chronic illness. Precisely because of that illness, she can’t be locked up. Pexi is not a matter of marriage; she’s the Magic Tower’s, no, the Kandel family’s asset-” “Control yourself.” As Jun scrambled for reasons to rush to her, his younger sibling stopped him. “If it’s an illness that’ll kill her in thirty-five days, then she’s not an asset in the first place.” “How can you even say that?” “It’s an entirely rational assessment.” Jun continued to fume. His breathing had grown far too heavy. If this resistance continued, he would explode soon. “What is Father doing? This is practically a declaration of war from the Ebenholtz!” “Before that, are you even able to tell Father you plan to marry a worthless woman like Pexi?” “You-!” Jun let out a furious scream. His sibling sighed inwardly. “If you truly want to take action, then don’t go yourself.” Then added quietly, “Use the media, brother.” “......The media?” “Yes. This is an unprecedented case for the Magic Tower. You can absolutely borrow the Tower’s power and wield the press as a weapon.” The Sentio Magic Tower is an institution with immense pride. They never tolerate any damage to their honor. Especially not when the opposing party is the Sentinel Knight Order. “......Yes! That’s it! Exactly that!” Jun Kandel dashed off as if something had suddenly clicked. Sonnet Kandel gave a bitter smile as she watched his retreating figure. From our side, using the media is a completely valid and effective counter. The problem is how the other side will respond afterward. If the opponent gets spooked by media pressure and chooses to remain silent or quietly wait, then he’s an amateur. But if he’s not. “He won’t back down.” Rather, he will likely escalate this situation even further, to show the entire world the clarity of his conviction. Maximilian Ebenholtz. Just what kind of person is he? Sonnet quietly sat on the sofa and closed her eyes. She fell into contemplation, trying to sense the mindset of a man she had never once met in person. Why had he suddenly detained Pexi? What did he see in her? From where, and how, did he gain the certainty strong enough to stake his knight career on? ...... [Sentinel Knight Order’s Overreach?] [The Knight Order Declares War on the Magic Tower!] [Shock! Heir of Ebenholtz Forcibly Detains a Wizard] Knight of the Sentinel, Maximilian, had detained a wizard from the Sentio Magic Tower. While countless sensational headlines flooded the Empire’s media outlets, only the Jemion Daily maintained silence. They too had received a substantial sponsorship offer from the Kandel family, but Editor-in-Chief Celine refrained from making any hasty moves. “What the hell is going on?” “It’s been a while since we had an event like this~” “Enjoy it~ enjoy.” Inside the newsroom, the reporters were completely stirred up by the excitement. The Magic Tower and the Knight Order, Ebenholtz and Kandel, two colossal powers seemed ready to clash over a single wizard. “But seriously, is that wizard really Jun Kandel’s lover?” “The rumors are everywhere. Some even say Maximilian made a move on her and got rejected, so now he’s pulling this out of spite.” “Come on, that’s hilarious.” Editor-in-Chief Celine looked over at Alphonse’s desk in the corner. Even in the midst of all the noise, he was quietly and diligently writing something by himself. “What are you doing?” “Writing an article.” “......I told you, we’re not getting involved in this.” “I’m not interested in it anyway. Nobles tearing each other apart and whatnot. Let them make their mess and rot in it.” “.......” Celine glanced at Alphonse’s article. Once again, it was about a factory worker injured in an accident, with the company refusing to pay compensation, one of those kinds of reports. “Alright. Keep doing what you’re doing.” In a way, it was better that he stayed consistent. Just then. Bang! The newsroom door burst open, and a reporter came running in, gasping for breath. “Editor-in-Chief! A message just arrived from Knight Maximilian’s side!” The message was- he would publicly announce his full stance regarding the detention of “Pexi von Arzen” through Jemion Daily. In other words, it was Maximilian’s very own battle to the death.