Crackle crackle. The Governor-General's Office building, where the bonfire inside the fireplace burned away the silence. I looked at Governor Fabian sitting across from me. It was a private meeting with only the two of us in the space. However, a longsword was leaning diagonally against the side of my chair, and Fabian was unarmed. Even if he had been armed, it would not have been meaningful. “......I hear all the Department Chiefs were executed.” Fabian opened his mouth heavily. “Yes. It was an unavoidable matter.” Putting on a deliberately regretful expression, I set a clipped newspaper down on the table. “This is the Jemion Daily that will soon be distributed throughout the Empire.” Paper that still hadn't lost the smell of ink. The governor’s gaze swept across the front page. There was a photograph taken by Alphonse. A procession of tanks filling the main boulevard of Genen. Soldiers standing at attention in perfect order. A formation controlled with extreme strictness. Perfect discipline, very far removed from chaos or disorganized rabble. Moreover, Alphonse’s own ‘tone’ was extremely restrained. Therefore, these photographs revealed only the still-intact military power and status of the Empire. They were also the product of censorship, thoroughly emphasizing bold suppression and the restoration of order. However, on the very next page. [ Incompetence and Corruption of the Governor-General's Office! ] The full story of the Adeline incident. The murder committed by a secretary of the Governor-General's Office. And the various criminal charges against officials of the Governor-General's Office. Alphonse’s characteristic scathing criticism, not diminished in the slightest, filled the pages. “As such, the punishment of the Department Chiefs was absolutely necessary.” I tossed the stack of documents I had prepared next to the newspaper as if throwing them down. They were evidence of the embezzlement, exploitation, and abuse of authority that the executed Department Chiefs had committed up until now. “They were far too unbearable to tolerate...... yes. they were people too much like commoners.” On the front page, the dignity of the Empire is set straight, and on the second page, the corruption of the Governor-General's Office is exposed. This contrast justifies the deaths of the Department Chiefs as ‘the punishment of incompetence and corruption.’ “.......” The governor let out a deep sigh. With a bitter expression, he fiddled with his mustache. I asked the governor. “What is it that you want, Governor-General.” The governor said nothing. He only stared at me with deep eyes. No, this silence itself was his action. He was truly a smart man. “Yes.” I smiled while looking at Fabian. “That will be enough.” The governor just needs to stay still. Just like now, all he needs to do is keep his position while waiting for the person who will replace him in the future. “Then.” I snapped my fingers. Schatz came in and handed him a small gift. A statue made of Mana Stone. It would be enough money to heal his wounded heart. “I look forward to your continued cooperation, Governor Fabian.” Threats or coercion should not remain at just that level. It is not such a great act of generosity for me, but with this, I can avoid inviting unnecessary hostility. *** Genen Prison. Elias nodded as he looked at the Student Council executives who had come to visit. “That’s right. Kasim was a ideological criminal.” Elias showed his chest. Although he had been protected by the defensive artifact of his necklace, the pitch-black bruise marks were still left behind. “Then.......” “Kasim wanted Genen to be reduced to ashes. He tried to contact armed organizations to drive a wedge between Genen and the Empire. Their intent was to inflict severe damage on the Empire’s prestige and finances.” As he spoke about Kasim, who had already betrayed him, Elias felt a heart-wrenching pain. "President...... what will happen to you?" “I’m fine. I’m saying this just in case, but don’t protest.” “What about a petition?” Elias let out a small laugh. “That might work.” “Ah. Right. But did you hear that news? It says all the Department Chiefs at the Governor-General's Office got their heads chopped off!” “.......” Elias quietly listened to their words. “Those Assholes, it’s not that they lost their jobs, their heads were completely taken off!” His face brightened as he babbled on indiscriminately. He was barely twenty, twenty-one years old, Elias found him simply adorable. “What was it they said? That they’re holding them accountable for the incompetence of neglecting the situation until Genen ended up like this? That they were unworthy of the Empire or something? Anyway! There are tons of rumors that Maximilian personally cut off their heads.” This is using enemies to kill enemies! Something like! Killing with a borrowed knife! “The problem is the next appointment for the Governor-General's Office, though.......” Even so, the students were afraid. Afraid that the exact same thing would happen again, that the same kind of noble would take over the top of Genen’s leadership. “Guys.” Elias quietly gestured with his hand. To those who came closer, he softly whispered his plans for his future path. Everyone's faces were colored with surprise and shock. “......A lot of people might be disappointed in me. They might curse me. No, they definitely will. But.” Elias clenched his fist while meeting their eyes. “Genen has to become a friend of the Empire. By doing that, Genen can definitely become better.” *** ──Before spring came, I suppressed Genen. Before the history from before my Regression could repeat itself, I trampled its sprouts with steel. However, a world that does not know my true circumstances now evaluates me as one of the ‘most dangerous imperialists’. Beyond the Empire, professors from many countries and many universities analyze my actions and write papers about them, and Imperial weekly magazines that received orders pour out commentaries praising me. A knight who mobilized hundreds of tanks to suppress protests in an Autonomous Region. Maximilian, who poured out the Empire’s rage over the Gigantes terror and suppressed the Autonomous Region to display the Empire’s might. The bloody spring breeze no longer blows. Instead, the image of a man called me was carved out of extremity and fear. That is probably because they do not know that spring day when tens of thousands of lives were lost. Because they do not know the massacre that took place in the past Genen, which has now disappeared. The number of deaths that occurred during this suppression was merely a few hundred. Since the majority of them were political offenders, the Ezenheim who had seeped into that place like a cancer were also completely devastated. I gained the opportunity to place Genen under my sphere of influence. Genen is a very important region for future wars. Because it is positioned ideally to strike the Eastern Alliance....... Tap. Tap. Meanwhile, I am walking down the long marble corridor of the Imperial Palace. The high ceiling, the splendid decorations, the cold air. A place that makes people tense just by walking through it. “Some idiots who don’t know anything were making a bit of noise. Personally, I think everything you say is absolutely right, Max.” There was, however, a person beside me whom I wished would just go away. Reutern II. "You did well, very well. And even that general affairs chief guy or whatever, wasn’t he a Subspecies?” “Yes. According to the autopsy results, the Department Chief of Internal Affairs, Erio, was a Subspecies. There were also Subspecies within the Secret Police Bureau.” Soon, the execution of the Ezenheim, including Kasim Ekin, will be carried out, and an announcement that they were Subspecies will be made. However, among the radical faction, there were quite a few who were not Ezenheim. Whether they had been brainwashed or harbored revolutionary intentions. They will either be executed together with the Ezenheim, or if their crimes are at least somewhat tolerable, they will be sent to the northern camps for forced labor. Unfortunately, I do not have the time to take all of their circumstances into consideration. “That’s right! Ha, those bastards were kind of filthy anyway. Just looking at them. How dare a Subspecies bastard even go as far as falsifying their status...... The nobles who sold their status to that bastard are a problem too. They should be caught and killed.” Reutern actively defended me regarding the immediate judgments carried out in this Genen suppression incident. Of course, it was not free. The bearer bonds and Mana Stone cubes I handed over were likely the driving force that made his tongue move. “......Max. I have some people in mind for the appointments to the Governor-General's Office.” Once again, Reutern brought up the main point in a subtly lowered voice. “No. It’s fine.” “Hey, don’t be like that. They’re really good people, I’m telling you. I guarantee it.” As Reutern’s expression was about to crumple, I changed the subject. “Lord Reutern. I hear a pink diamond will be coming up at this Yanuk Auction.” Reutern still had value to be used. At the very least, he was the kind of guy who gave back as much as he took. “......Huh, Max. You knew about that too? I had my eye on it as well.” Diamonds are natural Mana Stones. Among Mana Stones, they belong to the highest tier. However, unlike Mana Stones, their processing methods are not versatile, so they cannot be used as cubes, and are usually utilized as the core of an artifact. “Why? Are you planning to buy it and use it as an artifact?” Reutern asked with an impatient look. “It seemed not bad as a New Year’s gift.” His face slowly spread as he understood what I meant. It twitched brightly, and then his lips curled into a filthy grin. Reutern went hemm- and cleared his throat, then quietly stepped back. “Wow, Max has really become a proper noble~ Right! Something like Genen, well. You’ll handle it yourself~ Don’t get scared, do well! I'm leaving!” I looked ahead. Before the enormous doors lined by the imperial household's stewards. Those who had been waiting for me opened the double doors with solemn faces. Creeeak──. Beyond them, the ministers of the Empire were lined up. The attention of the entire space focused on me. It's the imperial household's medal award ceremony. I approached the Emperor’s representative and bowed my head. Kurt von Eus Grossman. The Emperor’s closest confidant, and a sycophant who would become very famous in the future. “His Majesty has seen your achievements. He was deeply impressed by the march of tanks that covered Genen and the orderly appearance of the army.” Kurt placed his hand on my shoulder. “He says that your display of force has washed away his worries caused by the destruction of Gigantes.” The Emperor liked performances that showed off the Empire’s continued strength. He would also love strictly maintained discipline and military order. The Emperor I knew was that kind of man. “It is my honor.” "......Indeed, you are Maximilian, son of Sebestian." Kurt took out the medal contained in its case. I turned my back to him, and he placed the medal around my neck. Empire's Golden Lion Medal, 2nd Class. It was the youngest record after Sebestian. *** Meanwhile, at a high-end restaurant in the Canilan Independent State. Ren, the commander of the Akarius mercenary group, read the morning newspaper with a dumbfounded expression. “Wow. This guy’s a complete crazy bastard.” On the front page, hundreds of tanks occupying Genen’s main boulevard. With just that single photograph, it was overwhelmingly violent. “The Empire was already worked up because of that Gigantes thing, and the Genen guys just got caught at the wrong time, I guess. I mean, why protest or demonstrate? They could just immigrate.” Across from him, Russell, the vice president of a securities firm, drank his wine as if it were nothing. Ren frowned. “Hey, you idiot. Don’t you know the Empire? If you want to immigrate, they tell you to hand over half your assets. That place is f#cking shitty.” “Anyway. Don’t worry about those barbaric brothers over there. Making money is more important for us, right?” “......True enough.” Ren snorted and folded the newspaper. “It’s the Empire’s problem anyway.” “Yeah, yeah. Ren, how many years has it been since you immigrated?” “Ten-something years? I don’t really remember.” “That~ choice right there was the best.” Russell pointed at Ren with his fork and chuckled. “How do people even live in such a suffocating place? Well, in a way, it is very Empire-like. Dropping hundreds of tanks into an Autonomous Region...... whew. As expected, civilization is right here in Canilan.” He chewed his steak, then as if something suddenly came to mind, set his fork down. “Oh, and.......” He glanced around and leaned his upper body forward. Ren leaned in as well. “This spring.” Russell whispered in a secretive tone. “A technology of unprecedented scale will be demonstrated.” “Unprecedented?” “Yeah. A technology that will remain in the history of the continent. A technology that will raise Canilan to rival the Empire....no, to become a nation even greater than it.” Russell pulled a small object out from inside his clothes. A transparent rectangular crystal about the size of a thumb. Inside, golden Mana Circuits thinner than a strand of hair were densely engraved, emitting light. Canilan’s latest information storage medium, a Mana Chip. “The blueprint is in here.” “......What is it. Explain it properly.” “Hah. I don’t usually tell people stuff like this...... but you’ve helped me out before, so I’ll tell you just this once.” Russell lowered his voice even further. “It’s the ‘Community Land Protocol’ led by Ransom.” “What? Pato-col?” “Land Protocol. Simply put, it’s a technology that creates land.” Ren tilted his head. A technology that creates land. The words were far too broad. “Land?” “Yeah. What’s Canilan’s biggest weakness? Landmass. We’re inherently narrow in territory. Compared to the Empire, it’s not even a handful. Because of that, no matter how advanced technology gets, if there’s not enough physical space, growth has its limits. So.” Russell tapped the crystal chip lightly. “An artificial continent creation technology where magic studies, magi-engineering, and magi-theory are perfectly harmonized. Stabilize the seabed with Mana, and build cities on top of it. Infinite expansion of territory.” Ren blankly mulled over his words. Creating a continent artificially. It sounded like nonsense, but this was Canilan. A miracle nation that makes the impossible real. "Fu#k...... can't I invest?" “You already are.” Russell snickered as he put another piece of steak into his mouth. Ren was startled. “What? Me? When did I?” “CDO, idiot. Ransom’s in there too. All you have to do is sit tight and wait.” A smile spread across Ren’s lips. Canilan really is Canilan, and this guy who looks like a scammer on the outside is also quite capable. Still, Ren grew a bit more greedy. “But still. Can’t I do more with individual stocks?” “Hm? Your cash is all tied up in our CDO.” “......There are banks.” Ren’s eyes gleamed. “Hey. You know that bank that was newly established this time, right? I went and asked, and they said they even count mercenaries as human assets for a mercenary group.” “Ohh~? Then don’t tell me?” "I take out loans with our mercenaries as collateral." Russell clapped as if impressed. “You’ve gotten smart, Commander Ren?” “I was smart to begin with.” “Make sure you buy the stocks through our firm, alright? I'll pull the leverage nice and hard for you.” “Got it. Let’s have a drink.” The two clinked their wine glasses with a laugh. Clink─ A clear, cheerful sound. Hahaha. Hohoho. Laughter echoing as if dreaming of becoming billionaires. Inside the restaurant, out on the streets, and further still, in nearly every securities firm and bank. They take on debt to make more debt and suck in performance bonuses, pull leverage on those bonuses to invest and speculate yet again, and atop that endlessly swelling bubble─ They are dancing.