The suppression of Genen was an imperial order. The Emperor personally expressed his concern, and Sebestian Ebenholtz, the Supreme Commander of the Empire, delivered that intent to the headquarters. Sebestian did not place restrictions on the method of suppression, but the fact that Maximilian had volunteered for the operation as a knight was unexpected. “.......” He quietly skimmed through the operation report bearing Maximilian’s name. [Suppression Plan] The key point is a comprehensive suppression through overwhelming force. Mobilize hundreds of tanks to surround and pressure the Genen Autonomous Region, instilling in them a sense of helplessness that makes resistance impossible. In Sebestian’s eyes, it was not bad at all. It was surprising that the newly established factories in the south had already produced this volume of tanks, but more than that, he liked the idea itself. The Empire does not tolerate unrest in autonomous regions. The strength of the Empire must be absolute—something that cannot be challenged or dealt with. Therefore, completely crushing them suits the situation far better than negotiation or compromise. It would also serve as a good propaganda tool to demonstrate the Empire’s continued stability to neighboring countries and internal subversive elements who had been spouting all kinds of talk since the destruction of Gigantes. Scratch— Sebestian scrawled the Supreme Commander’s signature. Colonel Edmon Bruindol received the document. “Loyalty.” After saluting, Edmon stepped out into the corridor and thought about the contents of the operation plan. Maximilian intended to deploy enough power to crush an entire front line for nothing more than riot suppression. What on earth was he thinking, and what was he trying to do? “You seem worried.” A voice suddenly cut in from the side. It was Major Goetz. “It’s about Genen. Won’t there be heavy civilian casualties?” Goetz deliberately put on a concerned expression. Edmon quietly looked at him, the approval documents tucked under his arm. "Knight Maximilian will handle it well." “Haha...... Yes. I suppose so.” Goetz laughed awkwardly and backed off. Edmon resumed walking. Goetz watched his back for a moment, then quickly scurried after him. “Let’s go together, Colonel.” Goetz is fairly good at reading people. More precisely, he prides himself on being quite adept at catching the invisible aura of those whose intentions differ from the Empire’s. Thus, he was suspicious of Edmon. More precisely, he harbored an inexplicable sense of unease regarding Edmon’s ‘ideology’. *** Hermes Province, in the southern Empire, a land of especially vast plains and mountain ranges where red clay and green grasslands harmonize. Kuuuuuu── Via transport ships, the Imperial mechanized division forces arrived one after another at Hermes Airport. Before their eyes, 200 new-model tanks were lined up in formation. “The overall operating system is the same as the older models, but it will be much more intuitive and smooth. If there are any soldiers who can handle Mana, please try infusing Mana into this Mana Stone condenser. It will increase mobility speed by over 30%.” A designer from Canilan personally explained the tanks to the tank crews. Boarding the interior half in doubt, they soon exclaimed in amazement. Unlike the old models that were cramped and stifling like a steam room, the interior was comfortable, and the control system had been innovatively simplified. Goooooo── The suppression force, having quickly adapted, deployed to the ground in the middle of the night. The vibrations caused by hundreds of tanks shook the land....... Meanwhile, I boarded a separate transport ship together with Major General Maut, the commander of the suppression force, and other key commanders. “......This is a transport ship?” Major General Maut’s eyes widened. “Yes.” It was, in effect, a private aircraft custom-ordered at an extra cost from an aviation manufacturing company in Canilan. Plush top-grade leather sofas, tables finished with Marcana hardwood, and soft lighting. The interior was a complete recreation of a suite from Canilan’s finest five-star hotel, or something like that. I'm planning to acquire this company later when Canilan collapses. “Everyone, please take a seat.” The commanders swallowed dryly as they took their seats. They seemed fascinated by everything, but refrained from showing it for the sake of decorum. Click. I snapped my fingers. Dedicated attendants placed luxurious boxes in front of the guests. “These are welcome gifts for my distinguished guests who are boarding my private aircraft for the first time.” An attendant opened the box halfway. Through the gap, a bottle of amber-colored liquid sloshing gently and crystal glasses were revealed. "It's 'Royal Amber 21-year vintage'. Please take it with you when you leave Genen." It was a famous liquor priced at over 200,000 dollars per bottle. Even the crystal glasses, if one were to appraise their value, were worth more than 50,000 dollars. The corners of the generals’ mouths twitched. They tried hard to maintain solemn expressions, but they could not stop the smiles from leaking out. Hahahahaha. Hahahaha. Hahahahaha. As their laughter mingled with the sound of the aircraft, before long we landed on the runway of the Genen garrison base. “Let’s go.” Major General Maut and the other commanders disembarked first, and I followed after them. At the end of the runway, senior officials from the Governor-General's Office who had come out in advance to greet us came into view. They were standing there smiling. Thump. At the same time, my heart gave a hard jolt. It was a familiar sensation. Evidence of the Ezenheim. “Welcome. I am Erio, Department Chief of Internal Affairs of the Governor-General's Office.” A greasy-faced man offered a handshake to Major General Maut, then approached me as well and extended his hand. I stared at him and suppressed my smile. “Nice to meet you, Knight Maximilian.” Found you. As expected, you were hiding here. “Let us proceed to the situation room first. We have everything prepared.” The department chiefs of the Governor-General's Office naturally guided us into the garrison base. As if it were only natural, they attempted to sit in on the meeting. “Ah.” I stopped them at the entrance to the conference room. “From here on, military secrets will be discussed. Those of you who are civilians, please step aside.” The expression on Department Chief Erio’s face stiffened. “Knight. We are from the Governor-General's—” “This is wartime, Department Chief.” There was no need to hear any more. Thud. I closed the door. After that, Major General Maut took the seat of honor, but the air in the conference room was subtle. The command structure naturally became tangled. “Hmm.......” Major General Maut, the commander of the suppression force, was watching my expression. That was only natural. Sebestian, the Supreme Commander of the Empire, is my father, and the tanks that would soon arrive are all mine, and— “.......” The moment I sat down, I remained silent with a blank expression. The generals waited for me without saying a word, and the silence dragged on. “......Knight Maximilian? Is there some problem?” At last, Major General Maut asked cautiously. I neatly adjusted my cuffs and gestured toward the outside with my eyes. “They were smiling.” "Hmm? Who?" There was no need to deliberately flash intensity in my eyes. No need to raise my voice either. Because in situations like this, I already knew the perfect teaching material to lead the other side along. "Those people from the Governor-General's Office." The person who dominated space with just his presence and aroused unknowable fear in me. He never made grand gestures. He never used an unnecessarily forceful tone. He never twisted his expression into something frightening. Rather, he was always consistent, yet imbued every word and action with the weight of a great mountain. That's why he was uncertain, and from that uncertainty bloomed the greatest fear. “Despite the fact that this incident broke out due to their unstable control.” My father, Sebestian, was like that. “Despite the fact that the prestige of the Empire was shaken due to their incompetence.” Recalling the image of Sebestian that still remained like trauma within me, I recited quietly. The lower I kept my voice, the more the generals leaned forward to listen to my words. “They were smiling.” I spat out a single, cold phrase. “As if it were someone else’s problem.” Major General Maut’s expression hardened stiffly. The same was true for the other generals. My thoughts and the atmosphere spread like a contagion. "......It seems that the targets we need to suppress here." I looked around the room and drew my conclusion. "Are not just the rioters." All of them nodded heavily. From now on, it is wartime. I, as a knight of the Empire, possess the authority for immediate judgment. However, that blade is not directed only at enemies. It also applies to incompetent and corrupt allies, or enemies disguised as allies. Pacify Genen, and overturn the Governor-General's Office. Seat a new figure in that position to rearm Genen’s ideology. That is my plan. *** Kugugugugung── A thunderous sound reverberated through the streets. Countless tanks, a wave of steel, crossed Hermes and entered Genen. The sight of them pouring in endlessly was something that could hardly be put into words. It was as if they themselves embodied destruction itself...... The protesters who had occupied the roads froze before that bizarre and overwhelming presence. ─By imperial decree. Disperse all protests and assemblies immediately. TThe tanks passed through the city. The barricades that students had piled up overnight crumbled helplessly, and cracks formed in the roads trampled by the monstrosities. ─By imperial decree. Disperse all protests and assemblies immediately. However, they did not fire rashly. They simply stood before those reckless enough to resist without backing down. “Target confirmed.” The rules of engagement handed down were clear. The objective was not killing. “Fire.” Kwaaaaaa───! The muzzles spewed fire. The shells struck empty building walls or asphalt surfaces right next to the protesters. Storms of blasts and fragments scattered in all directions. A statue in the square collapsed, and glass and chunks of stone from buildings flew everywhere. Only then did the citizens grasp reality, screaming as they scattered. ─By imperial decree. Disperse all protests and assemblies immediately. As the tanks seized Genen’s key points, agents of the Secret Police Bureau and soldiers seeped in from the shadows. It was the full-scale movement to hunt down the wanted ringleaders. ─By imperial decree. Disperse all protests and assemblies immediately....... Genen Central University. “......Maximilian is a crazy man.” Student council executive Kasim muttered with an enraged face. Their meeting was focused on only one person. Knight Maximilian, who brought hundreds of tank units to Genen. Elias murmured like a sigh. “We have no choice but to stop now. From the start, it was far too impulsive—” "You're going to surrender like this?!" Kasim shouted in a fit. Elias shot back, looking frustrated. “Then what are we supposed to do! At this rate, thousands—no, tens of thousands of people could die!” "Since they brought tanks, we should ask for help from the Independence faction or the Revolutionary forces! The world changes when people die!" “Don’t spout crazy bullshit.” Elias pointed at Kasim, his complexion hardening. “I'd die if it were me who had to die. But that's not it, is it? We're the ones who are going to run away. And after we escape, you're saying innocent people should die so the world can change?” “.......” Kasim also calmed down for a moment. Everyone already knew it. In a situation where hundreds of tanks had flooded into Genen, resistance or negotiation was impossible. “......Then if we surrender, will Maximilian stop? Will he coddle us and let it slide?” No one could answer. That much was true. Injured people from shelling were already cropping up all over the city, and agents, police, and soldiers ran rampant in the gaps. ─By imperial decree. Disperse all protests and assemblies immediately. The faint voices of the tanks still echoed. “For now, everyone disperse for today. If you have letters to write to your family or friends, write them now.” Elias got up from the conference room and returned to his dormitory. “Fuck.......” He sat at his desk, venting the swelling frustration with a curse, when he noticed a single note lying on it. “......?” [ I have urgent information to deliver. Many people will die. Come to contact point 3 as soon as possible. ] It was the handwriting of a reliable informant. “People will die.......” It was a dangerous situation, but an even more dangerous urgent report. After hesitating, Elias quietly slipped out of the dormitory. The moment he arrived at the back alley, contact point number 3, and looked around the area. “Ah~ there you are.” Along with a greasy voice, black shadows pounced on him. Thud─! A powerful blow struck the back of his head. His consciousness was cut off. ....... When he opened his eyes, he was in an unfamiliar underground space. The smell of blood lingered at the tip of his nose, and his hands and feet were tightly bound to a chair. “Hey~ you Revolutionary forces bastard. We finally caught the big one.” A sinister-looking man looked down at Elias and grinned. He roughly grabbed Elias by the hair and forced his head back. “Don’t worry. I’ll send you off with as little pain as possible.” Beside him, agents of the Secret Police Bureau were lined up. The man took out a syringe and jabbed it into the back of Elias’s neck. “......Ugh.” “Hang in there a bit. It’s a painkiller and an anesthetic. It’d be troublesome if you died of shock from the pain, right? You’ve got to be alive when you get beaten so the marks stay nice and clear on the body.” Gradually, his consciousness grew hazy. His vision wobbled wildly, and the man slammed Elias’s torso straight down onto the floor. Thud. Just as the merciless beating was about to begin. “─Stop.” Through Elias’s half-closed eyes, someone came into view. The agents’ movements also faltered. Everyone turned to look. "Ah~ You fucking anteater-looking bastard." The agent irritably cracked his neck. An investigator from the Genen Police Bureau, the guy who looked like an anteater. He was standing there with a stiff expression. “Is this bastard crazy? Can’t you see I’m in the middle of official business?” The agent asked, tapping a bloodstained baton against his palm. The anteater replied quietly. “Agent. What is your name?” “Huh? Ah~ now that you mention it. Come to think of it, we never even introduced ourselves.” He chuckled and brushed his hair back. “Anteater. I’m Billy. Billy Frezeul. Remember it when I send you to afterlife.” Billy jerked his chin at the other agents. “Hey. Just kill this bastard too. A Genen punk who doesn’t know his place and is acting up. In this kind of chaos, even if a guy like that dies, nobody’s going to care.” The agents drew their guns, but Zendo did not step back. Instead, he smiled. ──Step. Step. From behind him, from the passageway in the underground, came another set of footsteps. ──Step. Step. Very constant and regular boot heel strides. ──Step. Step. Slowly the darkness split, and silver air currents rose like a heat haze. In that place where flickering Mana clung like moonlight was...... “......Huh?” Billy's eye sockets sank deeply. “Secret Police Bureau.” The blonde knight, Maximilian. “You’ve been up to some pointless nonsense.” With his appearance, the air froze. The agents trembled, their hands gripping their guns as they stumbled backward. “K-Knight? How did you get here......” “Zendo.” Maximilian gestured to Zendo. “Kill him.” A cold smile crept onto Zendo’s lips. In contrast, Billy’s face twisted in shock. “K-Knight! I'm from the central—” "In this chaos, no one will care if one guy like you dies." Thump. The virus in his heart writhed violently. Billy was the target it pointed to. “Because you’re a Subspecies.” The moment Maximilian smiled— a submachine gun appeared from Zendo’s arms. “Ah, this fucking—” Billy hurriedly raised his own gun, but it was already too late. Kwadadadada───! Deafening gunfire echoed through the cramped underground. Billy’s body jerked as if dancing before collapsing to the floor. From the body riddled with holes, fresh blood trickled out. Amid the stench of blood filling the air, the other agents dropped to their knees. “.......” Without even looking at them, Maximilian simply walked toward the student council president of Genen Central University. Happy New Year, Everyone!!! 🎊🎉🎊🎉