A grand jury was held for the knight 'Maximilian von Ebenholtz'. It was a jury to determine whether his actions in the line of duty had been lawful. Before and after receiving his knighthood, Maximilian had killed a cadet from Empire Point and a noble murderer. Though the grand jury was convened quite some time after the incidents, even that had only been decided after being shuffled endlessly within the Imperial Court. Because no one dared to bring Ebenholtz before something like a grand jury. “We will now proceed with the grand jury for Knight Maximilian.” The judge spoke. The grand jury was, by principle, closed to the public. Around twenty citizen jurors representing various social classes, along with a knight to judge the circumstances and evidence, and a prosecutor, were in attendance. Apart from them, only the presiding judge and two or three journalists from specially designated media outlets were present. Journalist Alphonse observed the scene from the press seats. “First items under review are the execution of the Empire Point cadet and the noble murderer. We will begin by hearing a statement from the knight himself.” Maximilian von Ebenholtz. Blond hair and golden eyes. A man who looked like a textbook example of a pure Aran, as described by the Empire, stood up, even wearing the full Sentinel knight uniform. At a glance, he looked like a living, breathing mannequin made for propaganda. “Under Imperial law, one who kills a noble or who infiltrates Empire Point using forged identity is subject to immediate execution. Thus, I judged there was no need for a trial.” Maximilian defended himself in that way. The grand jury itself did not take long. After a few formal questions and answers, the result was a unanimous decision of “lawful”. There was no one who could deliver a different judgment while looking at Maximilian’s face, and journalist Alphonse, present as press, had no right to speak. “Then, the grand jury is now concluded.” Maximilian gave a light nod and exited the courtroom. Alphonse quickly chased after him. “Good afternoon!” Click. He greeted loudly while taking a picture of his face with his camera. It was a deliberate provocation. “I’m Alphonse, a journalist from the ‘Zenith Times’.” Maximilian slightly furrowed his brow but soon gave a relaxed smile. “Yes. Nice to meet you.” He neither showed hostility nor responded irritably. Image management, perhaps. “Would a brief interview be possible? About the Jacob Mac and Sana case.” “Sana?” He tilted his head at the name “Sana”. “Ah, so that noble killer I killed back then was named Sana.” Alphonse gave a dry chuckle. “Heh. Sir Knight, you don’t even remember the name of the child you killed?” “Is there a reason I should?” Journalist Alphonse’s expression slightly hardened. “......Do you even know what that child, Sana, had gone through?” Sana had killed a noble. But she had no choice but to do so. That old bastard was human trash unworthy of the noble title. According to the police investigation, numerous signs of abuse were found in the self-proclaimed victim’s mansion, and even his own surviving family members tried to bury the case in shame. “If you didn’t know, see for yourself.” Alphonse held out an envelope he had prepared. Maximilian willingly opened it. Inside were dozens of photographs. “He was a pedophile. An incredibly vile one.” Scenes so repulsive that they were barely fit to be described in words. Maximilian flipped through the photos one by one. “Even after seeing this, do you still believe there’s no room for leniency?” Maximilian raised an eyebrow, then nodded. “Yes. It was unavoidable.” “......Unavoidable?” “Under Imperial law, a commoner who kills a noble is subject to immediate judgment, regardless of the reason.” “Through a trial─” “Even if there had been a trial, the verdict would have been execution. On top of that, this child turned out to be a subspecies in the autopsy. Not even an Imperial citizen.” Not even an Imperial citizen. Alphonse glared at Maximilian. Maximilian met his gaze without flinching and replied calmly. “Journalist Alphonse. I know full well that this Eshton was human garbage. If he hadn’t died...” Maximilian took a step closer. “I would have cut him down with my own hands.” He looked down at Alphonse quietly. “But the child killed the noble first, and after that, it was a legal ruling. So don’t let your emotions get the better of you.” Maximilian gave a soft smile and handed the envelope back. “Otherwise, the world could come to ruin.” “......Excuse me?” A chill that he couldn’t quite explain crawled down Alphonse’s spine at those bottomless words. "Then, if you will excuse me." Maximilian got into his car. Alphonse shouted at him as he was about to leave. “─What about the two immigrants who were sentenced to death under your pressure, sir?!” He hastily pulled out the article draft he had prepared for today. “The paper mill incident! A mother and daughter who don’t even speak the Imperial language, who were used by Revolutionary forces even though they weren’t part of them, are about to be executed! Don’t you realize that’s exactly what those Revolutionaries want-” VROOOOOM─! Staring blankly at the back bumper of the car speeding away, Alphonse spat on the ground. *** Money, money, money. Money was multiplying. The new equipment, designed according to Lorenzo’s theory, dramatically increased the efficiency of mana stone refinement, and Arman’s waterwheel prototype had been installed deep within the mine. To enable faster communication and transactions, they had imported a cutting-edge data processing system from the Canilan Independent State. “Mana fluid! Mana fluid has been discovered here too!” Veins were being discovered one after another in nearby zones as well, and Dieter had pioneered new sales routes for mana stones across the Empire’s magic towers and magi-tech companies. Just like that, the company had rapidly stabilized. But mana stones were, by nature, vested power. Not just owning mana stones, but the right to sell them itself was a form of power. Magic towers and wizards always bought mana stones, but their prices were thoroughly fixed by collusion. Sooner or later, those so-called “Mining Families” would start interfering. Whether they would prevail or Ebenholtz would, it remained to be seen. “Sir Knight!” Arman came running out from inside the mine, his face full of excitement. “Look at this!” “What is it?” Arman had a mask on his face. There originally hadn’t been any child-sized safety masks, but since he practically lived in the mine, Lorenzo had made one specially for him. “I found it!” “Tell me. What did you find?” “When we mine mana stones using the current method, they keep getting too damaged! You know this, right?!” "They get damaged?" “Yes! The reason for the damage is because the circuit inside the mana stone gets torn apart.” Mana stones are formed when mana permeates natural objects like ordinary rocks over a long period of time, forming something like a “mana circuit” inside. That’s why when you mine them with pickaxes, the circuit inevitably gets torn. “How do we prevent the damage?” “We need to change the pickaxe entirely!” “Change the pickaxe?” “Yep! Watch!” The current pickaxes used in the mine were already special inventions designed to break rock using mana. “The current pickaxes only focus on brute force to break the mana stones.” “Right.” Arman brought out the pickaxe he had invented. “This is it! I call it ‘Kitten!’” “.......” It looked more like a club than a pickaxe. A large, blunt piece of high-purity mana stone had been specially affixed to the end. “When you strike a mana vein with this, it resonates with the mana circuits inside the stone. That way, the vein doesn’t get forcibly torn, it vibrates and shakes itself loose. Watch!” Arman tapped on a rock embedded with a mana stone as a demonstration. Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud. “......Please take over!” After hitting it for a while, he must’ve gotten tired, and suddenly handed it to me. I struck it with force. Thump! The mana resonated, and the rock shattered. Just as Arman had said, the mana stone appeared to be “shaking off” the surrounding rock by itself. “It might take a bit more effort than the regular pickaxe though.......” “And the pickaxe itself will be a lot more expensive, right?” “......Yes. That’s true.” Arman’s expression drooped slightly. “Does the purity absolutely need to be at this level?” “Yes...... Otherwise, the resonance won’t be strong enough.” The problem was that every club would have to use an expensive, high-purity mana stone. One of these could easily go for $100,000, and if it broke? A nightmare. I stared silently at Arman. This kid is a genius. A genius who even enjoys it. A born scholar who loves invention itself. There was a reason Lorenzo took him in. “The idea is good, but.......” Although he wasn't a pure Aran, his identity fabrication was already proceeding smoothly. In just a few years, Arman would be, on paper, a perfect Aran. “Wait a second, Arman. You said it uses the resonance phenomenon, right?” “Yes.” “Then, how about this?” “What is it?” I gripped the handle of the Kitten. “We embed mana stones in the handle as well and inscribe circuits into it. Even if the purity is lower, we can increase the amount and add a formula that amplifies the resonance.” When it comes to mana, I’m an expert. Or at least, the virus inside me is. So, if I convey the virus’s intuition to Arman like a hint─ “Uuhh... Oh! Whoa! I think it could work! I’ll have to think about what kind of circuit to use, but I’ll, I’ll definitely think more about it!” From here, it’s Arman’s turn. The kid ran off somewhere with a bright smile. I turned to Dieter beside me and said, “Dieter. Just like Arman said, push forward with developing the new Kitten... club. Get it reviewed by Mr. Lorenzo.” “Yes, sir.” Arman is still young. To realistically implement his genius, Lorenzo’s help is essential. “And we need to build an airport.” “I’ll coordinate with Hermes Province and look into potential sites.” “Buy up as much land as you can. From now on, logistics are key. Planes, tanks. We’ll spend as much as we earn, right away.” “Yes, sir.” The Empire must become stronger. Much stronger than it is now. Strong enough to manage both the eastern and western fronts simultaneously, and even overwhelm them. *** I am thinking about new deployment methods for knights in the study. I am writing new doctrine myself to replace the old, outdated textbooks. Of course, I’m still just a pitiful knight in my first year, but it can’t be helped. If not me, no one else will try to change it. “Deploying knights on the ground is extremely inefficient. Concepts like advance or march are nothing more than outdated remnants from the days of horseback warfare.” Fortunately, 「Reasons for the Empire's Downfall」 laid out in detail the reasons knights failed. Knights were a long-standing tradition of the Empire. Because of that, they always stood with honor at the very frontlines of battle. It was incredibly inefficient. “But once they’re on the battlefield, they inevitably become direct targets of the enemy’s guided missiles, artillery, snipers, and all manner of lethal weapons. Therefore, knights should stay just outside the frontlines and instead, during engagement, drop in from the air to strike high-value targets directly...” That is far more efficient. A knight is a human weapon in and of himself. Deployed into the heart of enemy lines, he would tear through their defenses. Dropped into the rear, he could wield the destructive power of an entire unit alone. The Empire failed to properly utilize the most powerful weapon at its disposal. As I write the new manual, that’s what I think. I need to propose an airborne training course at Empire Point, and the Sentinel Knight Order must begin airborne training immediately. As for the cost... I’ll cover it myself. I have money now. If we fail anyway, all of it will become worthless scraps of paper. So there’s no reason to be stingy. And so, after scribbling away with my pen, morning came, and the administrative officer, arriving even earlier than yesterday, handed me the daily newspaper and pointed to a rather interesting passage. “Hm.” It was a small social affairs article tucked into the corner of page 2. ──Are We Being Toyed with by the Ghosts of the Revolutionary Forces?── By: Alphonse von Stauffen The death sentence has been finalized in the paper mill case. Daniel Mateo, who confessed to being a member of the Revolutionary forces, and two immigrants (Fatima Müller and Maria Schulz) will all be executed. From the perspective of eliminating traitors who threatened the peace of the Empire, this may appear to be a rightful verdict. But we must ask the question: is this ruling truly just? If it is not, then are we not merely being swayed by the ghost of the Revolutionary forces? Among those who stood in the defendant’s seat were a mother and daughter, immigrants, who could not even properly speak the language of the Empire. Even at the moment their death sentence was handed down, they stared blankly at the courtroom, as if unable to understand what it meant. (...) No evidence has been made public that proves the immigrants participated in the revolution. Whether it was never found or never revealed, we cannot know. What we do know is that the two immigrant women, used by a Revolutionary member, are now facing not deportation, but the harshest punishment of all, execution....... ─────── I smiled. Alphonse von Stauffen. A journalist who might just become a beacon in this dark world. He took a small bite at me. No, in fact, I let his media outlet bite me. I had expected this to some degree. While media companies sell pens and prose, the ever-so-noble Sebestian and Ebenholtz have long held journalism in contempt, generation after generation. It seems the time has come to finally begin dealings with the press.