Yukia sat on the windowsill of her official residence, looking up at the Empire’s night sky. A cold wind stirred her clothes, and the moonlight shone on her silver hair. Clatter. Clatter. She fiddled with the small metal parts in her hand. Assembling, disassembling, and reassembling again in a meaningless repetition. A ritual to quell her anxiety. Ssshhk. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂 Suddenly, noise flickered in the artifact in her ear. ......These are the documents for approval. Maximilian’s office. It was the voice of the administrative officer. The dry sounds of papers flipping and a fountain pen scratching could be heard. ......Sir, may I ask you one thing? After a moment, along with the sound of the pen being set down, the administrative officer cautiously spoke. ......I’m curious why you accepted a Yaken. They can’t even communicate well, and considering the Empire’s sentiment, wouldn’t keeping a subspecies nearby harm your reputation? ......Well. Maximilian’s voice was low. He murmured as if talking to himself. ......It might be out of sympathy. Sympathy. Yukia’s hand stopped at that moment. She clenched the metal parts tightly, as if to crush them. Fury surged within her. She bit her lip in humiliation. ......It feels more like a promise, actually. Yukia’s head shook slightly. A promise? With whom, and about what? ......So you should pay close attention, too. Yakens is certainly a subspecies that will be helpful to the Aran. ......Yes, understood. “Help. A. Subspecies.” Yukia spat out each word as if chewing on it. She took a shaky breath and picked up her pen. She wrote down today’s notes. Every minor action of Maximilian’s, the verbal habits he let slip without thinking, even the intervals of his silences. All of it was, to her, information for the future, and weapons to aim at his throat. Scratch─ scratch─ She hated nobles. The ones who drove her father to his death and covered up even that death with deception, she despised them to her core. To her, revolution is simply another name for revenge. And the knight named Maximilian or rather, the man who stands at the very pinnacle of the noble system, is the most fitting target. *** I came to the Canilan Independent State on a short business trip. “This is Newrak Street.” I was in the bustling city with Dieter. In other words, it was just the two of us men. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about it, but as a change of pace, it wasn’t bad. After constantly inhaling the suffocating perfume of those noble bastards in the Empire, the stench of money mixed with pleasure and desire felt refreshingly different once in a while. “Canilan has a variety of cultures.” Dieter, who seemed to have become an expert on Canilan, drove the car and guided the area. “There are many grand theaters on this street. The number of theaters has tripled in the past year.” From classical plays to avant-garde modern theater, all kinds of performance posters covered the buildings. “A massive amount of capital is also pouring into the film industry.” The street of cinema. Posters of various genres, from romance to war, filled the surroundings. The overflowing liquidity seemed to gather and explode in every direction. This was truly Canilan’s golden age. “Ah, and.” Dieter suddenly stopped the car, ran to a street vendor, and bought some kind of dessert. “You absolutely have to try this.” It was a dessert with ice cream and chocolate in a crispy waffle cone, topped with stick-shaped cookies like chopsticks. I took a bite. “Mm.” It was sweet. So stimulating it made my head spin, but not bad. “Not bad.” “Sir, would you like to take a walk around the street?” “Let’s do that.” I got out into the middle of the street. Brilliant lights brightened the night sky like it was midday, people laughed while drinking champagne on restaurant balconies, and music flowed from various parts of the street. For a world nearing its end, it sparkled quite brightly. “Dieter. What do you think? I’m convinced all of this will soon collapse.” To me, Dieter is still an enigma. He carries out every task flawlessly, yet his mind is as calm as a well. No agitation, inside or out. From the very first meeting, it had been extremely ordinary, and it was still just as ordinary now. He was a man without change. "I agree. Unsubstantial money is circulating here." Dieter pushed up his rimless glasses with a finger. “Companies in Canilan borrow money from banks to develop technology, and then use that technology as collateral to borrow money again. As this cycle repeats endlessly, the companies fall into severe moral hazard. Even if no technology is developed, or even if it's an unfeasible one, as long as they label it ‘innovative technology’, the loans get approved.” If the Empire had collapsed due to war, then Canilan was crumbling under debt. “They’re inflating a bubble with technologies that have no substance and no intention of ever completing.” Even so, stock prices continued to hit new highs every day. That was because blind money was pouring in from the Empire and neighboring countries. Accordingly, when Canilan eventually collapses, the resulting shockwave will crash down on the Empire and many other nations. “But if this place explodes, the Empire will take massive damage as well. That’s because the Empire’s economy runs on ‘promissory notes’.” “You mean Ken Steiner?” “Yes.” The Empire’s Chancellor and an extreme workaholic, Ken Steiner was forcibly propping up the Empire’s economy through promissory notes issued by ghost banks with no real substance. That is the only reason why, at this very moment, the Empire still appears to be ‘functioning’. “His goal is probably pure exploration and pioneering. He likely plans to procure military supplies using those notes and carve out new paths in unexplored regions.” He would repay the borrowed future with the profits gained through exploration and expansion. But the Emperor’s thinking is different. “However, His Majesty wants something much safer and more certain than that.” Plundering other nations. Completing a conquest that would be remembered as his great legacy. That is why war is inevitable for the Empire. Without victory, there is no future. “Yes. War will definitely happen.” We passed through the bustling downtown area and arrived at a vacant plot of land. For now, it was just overgrown with weeds, an undeveloped site slated for future construction. “Before that, we’ll build a bank here.” It was Dieter’s proposal, and my decision. Eventually, the ones I would hold by the leash through “risk insurance” would be Canilan’s insurance companies and banks. When Canilan’s economy crashes and its currency turns to worthless scraps of paper, I will file massive insurance claims and take over this country’s entire financial system. “The motto of the bank is absolute neutrality.” When borders collapse and dynasties are overturned in the war's sweep, money that has lost its owner and black money seeking survival will pour out. I plan to create a vault from now on that will absorb all those funds. “Yes. I will make preparations.” I silently watched Dieter as he took notes in his notebook. “Dieter.” “Yes.” “What do you want?” Dieter’s salary is far higher than one would expect. But he never spends money. He only buys multiple suits and glasses, lives in the official residence, and indulges in no luxuries. “I consider myself to be an extremely hedonistic person.” That was what Dieter said. “...You?” “Yes.” Dieter looked out at the empty lot. His eyes seemed to envision the bank that would soon stand there. “I feel ecstasy from numbers. Because numbers don’t lie. Even if someone manipulates or falsifies them as they please, the truth always comes out. That’s because numbers don’t exist in isolation.” An expression resembling a smile appeared on Dieter's lips. “To efficiently stack those numbers, to create a perfect flow, to consume them without waste... the completeness of pure logic, free of value judgments. Those are the kinds of things that bring me pleasure.” I let out a hollow laugh. Dieter wasn’t a man who desired money. He seemed to be a rather unusual person, someone who loved the very order created by the flow called liquidity. “What do you desire, Sir?” It was an unexpected question. Dieter had something he was curious about regarding me as well. “I...” Suddenly, a vision of a ruined future, of a destroyed world, flashed through my mind. “...I want the Empire to win. Only then will our world be able to stand properly.” Dieter calmly adjusted his glasses and responded. "Yes. I'll take note of that." *** In the winter with large snowflakes gently falling. In the front yard of a house covered in white, I was training Aran Shepherd, Leo. “Listen carefully. In the end, it’s about establishing your territory.” Maximilian, Imitating Freya-style. “You are the dog of Ebenholtz. That means you're the most noble dog.” I couldn’t tell if this fellow actually understood me, but in any case, it quietly listened. “So always keep your posture and grooming in order.” Its posture was quite upright, definitely showed promise. “Don’t bark or wag your tail recklessly and lower your dignity…” After thoroughly instilling the ideology of Ebenholtz, I drew a 2-meter-radius circle in the snowy ground around it with my long sword. “Set a circular boundary in your mind. And sense everything that comes into it. The wind, sounds, even the killing intent of enemies.” I moved my foot close to the edge of the circle, just touching and pulling back. Leo’s gaze followed the tip of my foot. “The moment something enters.” Tap. The instant my foot touched the line, Leo leapt up like a spring. Movement like a bullet. Even its braking, stopping just before biting my forearm, was perfect. “Good. You must go straight for the throat. Answer.” “Woof!” “…You really are smart.” No, it understood everything I said. Its expression said as much. “Again. But this time, close your eyes.” Leo obediently closed its eyes. “Wait, do you really understand what I’m saying?” Leo opened its eyes again. “…Close them again.” It closed them again. Indeed, it was a true spirit beast, worth every bit of a blank check. I picked up a stone rolling on the ground. “This time, it’s a stone.” Whoosh. Thud. The sound of a stone sinking into the snow. In that moment, Leo dashed with its eyes still closed. It found the exact spot where the stone had landed. It had reacted using pure senses, not sight. “Good. Again…” Thud. Thud. Thud. The training that started with pebbles advanced to tree leaves that made almost no sound. After finishing the training, I held Leo in my arms. “Good work. Drink this.” I placed an elixir to its mouth. Just in case, I had consulted Lorenzo beforehand. ‘Elixirs are pure crystallizations of mana, not chemical compounds. So whether human or beast, they work the same. But… why are you asking me this?’ That meant no one had ever been crazy enough to feed an elixir to an animal. Slurp, slurp, slurp, slurp. Leo wagged its tail as it eagerly slurped down the elixir worth millions. Somehow, its fur seemed to grow shinier in real time. "Grow big and strong." A well-trained beast is better than ten men. At least a dog doesn’t betray its master. “Sir Knight. You have a guest.” Just then, the butler announced a visitor. “Ah. Let them in.” “Yes.” The reporters from the Jemion Daily came into the front yard. Alphonse, and the editor-in-chief, Celine Dubois. “Pleasure to see you, Sir Knight.” Celine bowed politely. The Revolutionary forces executive who once wore a rabbit mask now stood before me in an elegant coat. “I didn’t expect the editor-in-chief to come in person. And bringing that man too.” I smirked and gestured at Alphonse. Celine shrugged. “He insisted on coming himself.” Alphonse yawned as he picked up the camera. “Sir Knight. What do you want? Any particular composition you prefer?” “Just get a shot of me from behind with this guy.” “Got it~” Click. Click. He continuously pressed the shutter. Celine watched us with her arms crossed. “‘A knight raising Aran Shepherd’... wouldn’t a headline like that be kind of nice?” “Ah, yeah~” Alphonse nodded absentmindedly and handed me a crumpled letter. “What’s this now?” “It’s nothing special, just... from the security workers at Gigantes. That commoner representative wrote it. He really wanted you to get it.” I took the letter and unfolded it. From the very first line, I could feel the sincerity pressed into the paper so hard it was nearly torn. ──── To the honorable Sir Maximilian von Ebenholtz...... We were as good as dead. When Gigantes fell, we were trapped in iron cages as offerings. On that cold night, when we were waiting for nothing but a death sentence, on those days when our hands and feet wouldn't thaw, when we despaired at never being able to see our families again… we remember....... Sir, you said it wasn’t a burden the commoners should bear. That, to us, was boundless grace. Now, I can sit with my seven-year-old child in front of me. As she eats her soup, her eyes wide and bright....... ──── Silently, I tucked the letter into my inner pocket. Alphonse looked at me with serious eyes. “This time, I’ll admit it. You saved those people, Knight. Just like you said, it wasn’t something mere commoners could be held accountable for. But I’ll be keeping my eyes wide open on the labor conditions at the new factory.” “Suit yourself.” I quietly answered while stroking Leo’s head. “Use your pen as much as you can while you still can.” Once war breaks out, that pen’s the first thing that’ll snap. Buzz─ At that moment, a message came through the terminal. [We’ve successfully identified the body of Eric Tariq. However, recovery may take a bit more time.] A smile spread across my lips. Buzz─ Another message came immediately after. [Direct agency has started tracking Reutern's corporation.] They say good things come all at once. The person I need most, and the most annoying bastard, both took the bait at the same time. “What, good news or something?” Alphonse asked with a smirk. "Will you stay for a meal?" “Nah. I mean, it’s not really─” “No, no.” Clap clap. I clapped my hands, summoning the servants. "Have a meal before you go." Celine Dubois. Might as well test her a bit too. “My personal chef used to work at ‘Mepunjee’. You’ll be satisfied for sure.” Mepunjee. A restaurant famous even in the Western Kingdom Artika, a region known for its abundance of gourmet spots. I had hired a chef from there with a huge salary, and ordered the highest quality ingredients to be flown in fresh every morning. "We never know when we'll die. We might die tomorrow." I pushed Celine and Alphonse into the mansion. “At least the three meals we get a day should be delicious, right?” While struggling desperately to prevent destruction, this level of luxury is necessary for my mental health too. In such a suffocating world, delicious food is one of the best reasons I have to look forward to tomorrow.